


Rising Stars

by Mr_Hardstone



Series: Special Tactics and Rescue Service [1]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Pre-Canon, S.T.A.R.S Formation, S.T.A.R.S. (Resident Evil)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26795590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mr_Hardstone/pseuds/Mr_Hardstone
Summary: In 1998, S.T.A.R.S Alpha and Bravo Teams were almost completely wiped out due to an outbreak of a potent bio-weapon on the outskirts of Raccoon City.We were introduced to this squad of highly skilled ex-military specialists on what was fated to be their last mission. But how did this squad come to be?
Series: Special Tactics and Rescue Service [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1954057
Kudos: 8





	1. Rising Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic! Which means both please be kind, but also feedback/constructive criticism is welcome. If you think it sucks, help me be better! 
> 
> I've always been curious about S.T.A.R.S, and why a small town in the middle of nowhere needed it's own elite team of ex-military badasses, and the kinds of things they'd have been doing before the mansion incident. I've pulled together as much canon trivia and info as I could in the hopes of making this as close to canonically feasible as i could, but there will be deviations and fudging of a few things here and there to make things fit.

Chris Redfield had been at home in his dingy one-bedroomed apartment, preparing to start cooking some dinner for him and his teenage sister, Claire. 

“And what culinary delights are you whipping up for us this evening, Emeril?” She chided. 

Before he could respond, there was a knock at the door. ‘Always when you’re cooking’ he thought to himself. Chris wasn’t a capable cook, but he knew his way around a boxed Mac & Cheese, and Claire would have to get used to this sort of cuisine; she was leaving for college next year. Although she was only just 17 she’d be almost 18 in September, plus she was definitely mature for her age. She could drive already and wasn’t a bad shot with a 9mm either, though he hadn’t been so irresponsible as to give her anything much bigger than that quite yet. 

Claire ran back into the kitchen with a grin on her face. “Chris! Dinner’s here!” 

Dinner? 

He set the blue box back down onto the counter, turned the stove off and, seeing that she was trying not to burst with glee, followed Claire into the hallway.

“Chris! You old son-of-a-gun!” 

The voice boomed, immediately recognisable. Only one man in the world spoke like that and Chris could pick him out while blindfolded in a snowstorm.

“Barry!” Chris smiled wide and threw his arms around his guest. “What brings you to this part of the world?”

Barry grinned back. “Well, I was in the neighbourhood and thought my old partner might be hungry!” He gestured to the small white plastic bag in his hand “So I thought I’d drop in with the finest Chinese food this city has to offer!”   
He turned to Claire and winked. “For three, of course!”. Claire let out the kind of small squeal of excitement that only a teenage girl could.

They sat down to eat at the small square dining table set up in the kitchen of the apartment. Barry and Chris facing each other with Claire between them, turning her neck to keep up with the conversation and chime in when she could. It was great seeing Barry again, for both of them. When him and Chris had served together he had been like family to them both. An older (although nowhere near as much older as Chris made out in jest) male figure to look up to was something they had had missing from their lives for a while, and Barry had almost served as a kind of surrogate uncle to them both. After a while of reconnecting, curiosity had overcome Chris.

“So what brings you here tonight Barry? You can’t really expect me to believe that you were just in the neighbourhood of a city you live nowhere near with enough food to feed…what, five people?” 

Barry laughed “Well I didn’t know what you and Claire would like! So I had to make sure we had enough. Besides, I didn’t pay for it.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Well Chris, it’s like this. After I left the Force I moved back home and joined the police. SWAT, to be precise. My military history had given me more than enough experience. And while I was there I learned the ropes from my CO, Enrico. I could do everything required for the job, but he really helped me get to grips with the whole ‘law enforcement’ side of things.” Barry said, Claire staring and listening intently while chewing a big mouthful animatedly. “Enrico is a standup guy, good as they come.” 

Barry sort of stuttered, seeing Chris becoming less patient. Barry was definitely an ‘actions speak louder than words’ kind of guy. He could shoot a can off the nose of an F-15 from 200 yards in front of a hundred people without breaking a sweat, but he would struggle to talk in front of more than 5 without feeling anxious and tripping over his words. 

“A-anyway…He got head-hunted. He’s been hired to put together some kind of…it’s basically a private SWAT team kind of deal. Small teams of highly skilled people, like yours truly” he smiled, with a mix of genuine pride, and sarcastic self-aggrandisement.

“And, hopefully...like you.”

“So you’re here on a recruitment mission, then? Hence the meal, to butter me up?” Chris snorted, an eyebrow raised.

“C’mon, Chris, it’s not like that. I… Look. Enrico is looking for the best of the best. We’ve got an ex-Delta Force member on board who specialises in B&E tactics. We’ve got a chemist, a vehicle and weapons technician, all with a great military pedigree. Enrico said that we need a sharpshooter and that we need a pilot. He asked me if I knew anyone good from the Air Force and I told him I knew a man who could do both.”

Chris scoffed a little.

“So you’ve oversold me to your CO before you even know that I’m for sale? Well, thanks for the opportunity but I really don’t know that it’s for me.”

“Chris, c’mooon! That’s not fair!” Claire whined. “Barry came all this way and brought this delicious food” she interrupted herself to turn to Barry “thank-you, Barry!” and continued ”and you won’t even hear him out properly! When has Barry ever, and I mean literally ever, steered you wrong in the past?” She said, a kind of half angry, half quizzical pout on her face.

Before he could answer, Barry started up again.

“Look, Chris, I understand your hesitation, I do. But here’s the thing; this team is in its infancy. It’s being put together as we speak. If you don’t know that its right for you, now is the perfect time to join up because you can _make_ it for you, you get me? Get in on the ground floor and we can shape it and make it look how _we_ want it to, make it run how _we_ want it to. Better that than joining a rigid structured team in a year’s time.”

Chris couldn’t argue with the logic. 

“Let me put it this way, Chris. What are you doing now?”

Shit. Chris froze a little. 

“I’m…between employers right now. But I’ve got a lead on a job on a construction site. One of the guys from the shooting range said that his colleague swears he’s gonna quit if their boss makes one more…”

“And that’s what you wanna do, is it? Day-labour work on a construction site? That’s what the best shot in our entire unit of the USAF wants to do with his life? C’mon Chris, don’t bullshit me.”

“You mean the same USAF that spit me out for raising my voice one too many times? Why would I ever want to go back to that kind of environment ever again?”

“It’s not like that up in Raccoon. I promise. I remember what it was like there, what _you_ were like there, and its night and day, Chris, it really is! The energy up there is incredible. It’s a small team and everyone is excited to be doing something new, to be making something new. Tell you what, why don’t you come down, both of you, spend a night or two in the city. I’ll show you around, introduce you to a few faces, and you can make a decision after that. At least check it out for yourself. Then, if you decide it’s not for you, you can walk away. Come back here, get a job on a construction site, and ol’ Barry will never bother you again…” he paused for a moment, Claire’s eyes bulging with upset, looking between the two of them worriedly.

“…with a job offer, anyway. You can’t get rid of me that easily!” And with that he tussled Claire’s hair, her laughing in relief. Barry had really softened and become more personable since his daughters were born.

“Chriiiis! Can we? Can we go? A few nights in the city sounds like soooo much fun!”

And Chris was, almost frustratingly, at a loss. He was between jobs and couldn’t think of a single damn reason not to go. Besides, part of him was just playing hard to get. He wanted to know if Barry really wanted _him_ , and not just to help his new BFF/CO tick the boxes on their new squad. 

He let out a heavy, obviously exaggerated sigh as he cracked a small smile.

“UUUUUGH. Fine. We’ll come down and meet your team of ex-military All-Stars.”

“Fantastic! I can’t wait to get you down there. In fact, if you guys pack a bag we’ll get you down there first thing tomorrow! Claire, you ever flown in a helicopter?” 

Her eyes widened with excitement. “No!”

Chris winced a little internally. He knew how safe they were in the right hands, but he’d rather not expose his little sister to unnecessary risks if he could avoid it. But, in the hands of a good pilot he knew that it would be much quicker than a car or train.

“Well then, it’s settled. I’ll call HQ for an emergency evac chopper to arrive at 1100 hours sharp. Synchronise watches!” Barry joked, loading in all the military movie clichés he could for Claire’s sake, watching her become more giddy and excited with every passing second as she worked herself into a frenzy.

“I’m gonna go pack my bag!” she squealed as she dashed from the room. She popped her head back in the door and thanked Barry again.

\---

A few hours had passed. Claire was in her room, presumably sleeping, ready for an exciting day tomorrow. Chris wondered if she knew how ultimately dull riding in a helicopter would be. There’s nothing to do, no in-flight movie, and it’s too loud to hold a conversation.

He and Barry sat on the couch in the living room, angled towards one another, each nursing a can of beer.

“So, be honest with me Barry, did you really come here just to try to recruit me to your team of All-Stars?”

“Honestly? Yeah. Yeah I did, Chris. Even if you weren’t the best damn marksman I’ve ever seen, I’d still be here offering you something. You’re my brother in arms and I hate seeing you waste yourself on the shitty jobs you’ve been doing since you left service.” He paused, then sighed sarcastically “But unfortunately you _are_ the best damn marksman I’ve ever seen. I don’t know what sort of thing they’re gonna have us doing day-in and day-out but it can get dangerous, even outside of a warzone. Look at what happened in Oklahoma last year” he said, his lips a thin grim line. “The city is growing and lots of people are moving there for work opportunities, which means more people with different beliefs and ideals in the melting pot. And you know as well as i do that sometimes those differences bubble over and cause splashback. Besides, it's not like we're just going to be operating in the city itself. That's what the local cops are for, and it's why we have a chopper. We'll be doing everything that SWAT do and more, for the city and the surrounding states. Search and Rescue missions, dealing with domestic terrorism situations, even..." His voice broke.

"I'm sorry Chris, it's just...the situation in Oklahoma. It happened 3 days after my little Moira's 4th birthday..." Barry was getting emotional. Chris knew that parenting messed with your hormones, even for men, but he had never seen Barry Burton on the verge of tears. "OKC is just a few hours flight from Raccoon and it just...19 children died when that building collapsed. 22 when you consider the 3 pregnant women there too. So close to my own daughters birthday." He paused and wiped his eyes far less discreetly than he probably believed. "It was all I could think of when Enrico called me, offered me this job. If I could help prevent something, anything like this happening in future then I would give everything I have to do it. Easiest question i was ever asked. And when the chance came up again, when Enrico basically asked 'who would you want in a fox-hole with you?'. Well, that was the second easiest."

Chris had decided, shortly after dinner, actually, that he was going to join this team. Depending on how his visit went, of course. But seeing Barry, one of the few people in the world that Chris actually respected and admired, seeing Barry this passionate about something, believing in it so whole-heartedly definitely helped cement the thing further in Chris' mind.

"Barry... Do you need a place to stay tonight?"

"Nah, I've got a hotel a few blocks over. Plus, i'm gonna be back on active duty soon so the walk will help me burn off this dinner!"

"Man, am I glad to hear that! I remember how bad your snoring is. And besides, it might be a little cramped!"

Barry realised that, in this one bedroom apartment, the one bedroom belonged to Claire. And that meant that the only place Chris could be sleeping was on this same sofa that they were drinking beer on. And Chris had offered it to him, even if it meant him sleeping on the floor.

"Chris...you're a good brother. And a good friend. You're true blue, buddy. I know you're gonna love it up in Raccoon." He stood up, hands heavy on his knees to signal that he was preparing to leave. 

"Barry...Let's do breakfast tomorrow. There's a waffle place around the corner. They...may know me by name."

Barry laughed, his booming voice accidentally just too loud for the late hour, only for a second.

"Sure thing, Chris. Don't forget to pack. See you bright and early, soldier!"


	2. Arrival in Raccoon

They had been in the air a little over 2 hours and conditions were damn-near perfect. The sky was a crispy blue with soft white clouds, golden edged where the sun hit them. Chris had underestimated how good it would feel to be in the air again, and also how good it felt to see Claire experience this for the first time. Though he worried about her safety, she was never one to shy away from an experience like this. Throughout the flight he watched her gaping out of the window at the scenery below them, the towns and cities they flew above, and the lush green mountains. Deep in the woods she would catch sight of what looked like buildings every now and then. She waved for Chris's attention, pointed down at one then shrugged, to ask him wordlessly what they could be for. He laughed and shouted across the cabin as conversationally as possible "PROBABLY SOME COUNTRY CLUB WHERE RICH ASSHOLES PLAY GOLF." Him and Barry were used to the volume level that came with flying in a helicopter, but Claire had given up trying to talk with words within the first half an hour of the flight, having tried a few times unsuccessfully. She associated loud sound with concentration, not conversation. Shooting, sure, but also the few times she'd ridden her ex-boyfriends motorbike, without Chris knowing of course. She couldn't wait to get to college, be an adult officially and be far away from her big brother when she broke the news to him that she'd got one for herself.

Barry laughed out loud. "DON'T LET ENRICO HEAR YOU SAY THAT! GOLF IS THE ONE THING OTHER THAN GUNS HE LOVES MOST." Chris laughed in response, but filed it away in his mind. He felt silly and smiled to himself internally. 'Already gathering intel on the new boss.'

A city emerged from the treeline as the chopper stayed its course. "THERE SHE IS!" Barry yelled. "RACCOON CITY! IT'S A SLEEPY LITTLE TOWN THAT'S JUST WAKING UP, AND WHEN IT DOES? IT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING SPECIAL, I CAN FEEL IT. THE PLACE IS GONNA BOOM."

It was easy to tell that Barry was probably right, too. Looking from above, the city was very clearly part small, old mountain town, and part expensive looking new developments and building sites with half erected buildings. Whoever was running this place was either a genius at city development, or had sold his soul to the devil. Knowing politicians, Chris was almost willing to bet money that at least a few greased handshakes had helped make all of this possible. They flew by an old looking clock tower, the tower itself directly to their left as they flew as close as they could safely manage. Claire stared at it wide-eyed and with awe. They were close enough that she could see the cables on the mezzanine that powered the lights which would illuminate the clock-face at night, feeling fascinated by the view that she had of a place clearly only intended for maintenance workers. How many people had lived in this city their whole lives and had only seen this clock from down below, she wondered? Her eyes flicked over to the other side of the city as they passed the tower, and her head followed her stare. "CHRIS! A ZOO!" She yelled excitedly. She had always grown up in cities, but never one with a zoo. Chris smiled in response. He didn't really have anything to say, but damn it felt good to see his sister enjoying herself like this. He decided that after they were done for the day, the two of them would definitely be taking a trip to the zoo. Although...maybe tomorrow. It was Thursday, and Claire was back in school on Monday so Chris had figured they'd take a long weekend and travel back on Sunday. While he was lost in thought the chopper started to hover in place, and Chris knew they were preparing to land. The vehicle lowered gently to the ground, a small jarring bump as the skids touched down on the helipad, and the unmistakable sound of the blades slowing down as the engine was turned off.

"CHRIS THAT WAS AMAZING! CAN WE DO IT AGAIN?!" Claire yelled as they stood on the helipad not 3 feet away from each other, Chris wincing at the volume. "Easy, Claire. Indoor voices, please!" he joked.

"Besides, you're gonna have to do it again if you ever want to go home!" Said a deep, throaty voice full of amusement.

"Enrico!" Barry said pleasantly, as the man strode towards them from a small door across the helipad. He cut quite the figure in his dark clothes, trim but stocky figure and meticulously trimmed moustache. His hair fluttered slightly from the slowing blades of the helicopter. Chris was glad that Claire had listened for once when he told her to tie her hair back. He knew she'd be spending the weekend untangling it otherwise. She still wouldn't get it cut though, even as it grew down to the middle of her back.

"Chris Redfield, I'd like you to meet Captain Enrico Marini." Barry said, introducing them formally. While Barry was talking Enrico had thrust out a hand to offer a handshake while Chris had stood at salute from habit.

"Hah, stand down soldier. No need for anything quite so official. Not just yet, anyway." He said with a grin at the backend of his statement. He and Chris shook hands, a strong, firm grip forming a momentary bond between the two men. "It's great to finally meet you! Barry has told me all about you. We've requested your records to check over but in my mind if Burton vouches for you then that's good enough for me. I'm almost eager to get you down to the shooting range now, see if Barry has been embellishing stories of your capabilities!"

"We've requested your records to check over" echoed slightly in Chris' mind as he winced a little from the statement. God knows what was written in there regarding his leaving the Air Force. He and the Force hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms.

"I've got no issues shooting off a couple of rounds for you, Sir." Chris replied. Barry chuckled slightly, knowingly. Chris was very capable and confident, and it was amusing to him to see Chris trying to suppress that in favour of making a good first impression to a potential CO.

Enrico turned to Claire and said "And you must be Chris' sister! I'm afraid you're a little too young to join our squad right now, but maybe in a few years' time!" He joked. Claire threw her arm out to the side, dramatically cocked her elbow and brought her hand up to her forehead in an enthusiastic salute. "Sir, Yes Sir!" Enrico and Barry both laughed in unison.

"I'm afraid not," said Chris "Claire is off to college next year. Gonna go to medical school, become a doctor!" he said, looking Claire in her face. Claire was emphatically not going to be a doctor or a lawyer or a judge, or any of the high-paying careers that Chris had picked out for her when discussing college.

"Doctor? Perfect! We'll be needing a field medic!" Enrico continued the joke, but only has he'd seen Chris' reaction to it. He was ribbing him, fostering familiarity and camaraderie in his squad. He was good, Chris had to give him that.

"Anyway, let's head inside, we've got a lot to discuss." Enrico looked at Barry pointedly at that last part. Barry cocked an eyebrow curiously as they headed inside.

\---

Chris felt for sure that if he was ever going to work in a place like this, he'd need a map. The old building had been bought a few years prior, and parts of it were still under renovation. Part of the process of the city's expansion. The building used to be...a museum, or an art gallery or a library or something. Barry wasn't certain. But it was disused and the police had needed a proper police station building as the city grew and it became clear that the old sheriff's office with the drunk-tank and 6 members of staff weren't going to cut it any more. All the important work had been done, with the basement renovated into a full jail with roughly twenty cells, a shooting range, car park, and so on. Now they were just renovating some of the attic-space to make a larger evidence room, and things like that. But it was a fully-functioning police precinct. Just...one made of old, darkly stained wood and an atmosphere that dripped with grandeur. Especially in that main hall, where the receptionist sat near a small waiting area, with what looked like a giant fountain behind her. Claire was in awe the whole time. They crossed the hall and continued winding through corridors of old creaking wood and elegantly uplit walls until they reached a door, at which point Enrico stepped in front, held the door open, and gestured for the three of them to enter first.

Inside was an office. Or, what would be an office. There was a couple of desks in here, sure, and a large radio communications desk to the right, but they all looked like they were here long before Enrico Marini had ever set foot in the building. From what Chris could tell, the only stuff belonging to the new team was paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork.

"Geez, this place DEFINITELY needs a womans touch!" Claire piped up. Barry gave her an amused look.

"Welcome to HQ!" Said Enrico, half proud and half tired sounding. He was clearly pouring a lot of himself into this venture right now, and the more people he had the easier that workload would become. "Chris, Claire, make yourselves comfortable. Barry, a word?" Enrico ushered Barry into the small side-room which looked like prime real-estate for a squad commanders office one day.

"You think they're talking about you?" Claire asked. They both sat down on the basic looking office chairs next to the neatest of the desks.

"Maybe. None of my business really." Chris had a look around from his seat. Whenever he entered somewhere new, especially a place this cluttered, his nosy side came out. If Claire wasn't here and the side-room where Enrico and Barry were talking had blinds or shutters, Chris would be walking around the room examining everything with his eyes. But he could see the communications desk, and opposite where they were sitting there was a telephone and a fax machine, so at the very least they were set up to get set up. 

"What do you think of the place so far?" Chris asked Claire. In a lot of ways she was still a teenage girl, but in other ways she was more mature than Chris himself. Definitely more cool and level-headed. 

"So far I love it. This building is gorgeous, Chris! And the city! A clock tower and a zoo and there was a big outdoor park I saw, and that was all from above! I can't wait to get my feet on the ground and explore this place properly!"

Chris hummed in agreement. It did seem to have more than the other places they'd lived, especially recently. He worried though. Raccoon did seem nicer than where they were now, but she was still in high-school and Chris didn't want her to pull out and relocate this close to graduation. And he certainly wouldn't allow her to drop out! He decided to put that on the backburner for now and open the curtain just a little for Claire.

"It IS nice here, I have to agree. The city and the building." He was beginning to equate Raccoon with Claire; small but growing steadily and definitely something worthy of being protective over. Maybe that would see him through?

The door opened and Enrico stepped out with Barry close behind.

"I hate to be rude but I'm afraid we need to speak to Chris about this job offer, and for confidentiality reasons Claire can't be here." She pouted a little, but understood completely. For all they knew she was a Russian spy or something.

"Claire, remember that room across the main hall with the vending machine? Here's $20. Go and make yourself comfortable and I'll come fetch you when we're done here. I expect change, though! Plus, there was a rack of pamphlets about local attractions and sights. Great chance to learn more about the city!" Her eyes widened a little at the suggestion. A couple of Sprites and a packet of M&Ms sounded good to her about now, plus she wanted to read all about what the city had to offer. She hopped up and headed for the door. "Think you remember the way?"

"How lost can I get, Chris? Besides, I can always ask a friendly officer for directions if I do!" She beamed a smile and turned back towards the door, her ponytail whipping the air as she did.

\---

"OK Chris, let's get down to business." He and Barry both sat down at the same desk as Chris. "Things have...changed a little in the last few days. I've just briefed Barry on the changes now and they're... _relatively_ minor, all things considered." His brow was furrowed and tight, and Barry looked as frustrated as Enrico did. Chris could only imagine how frustrated Enrico had been when he'd first found out about these changes.

"As you know, we are being privately funded. And the more sources of funding we have, the better we can operate. The flip-side of that is that our investors can...negotiate changes, and if we don't comply then they can force our hand by threatening to pull out." Enrico said matter-of-factly. Barry snorted like a bull over Enrico's shoulder.

"The way things were when Barry left last week were that this is my squad and I had final say in any decisions. Our biggest investor has a guy they prefer for the job. Some kind of personal connection to a member of the board, I suppose. He arrives on Monday and then, this whole show is his. As a compromise, the squad itself will be expanded and split into two teams. He will run the department and be the Captain of Team A, and I will be the Captain of Team B and report only to him in his duty as department head. Objectively it's a good thing, double the personnel means double the effectiveness of the unit, plus late-night on call duty will be split between the two teams. Personally, it's a little more..." Enrico trailed off.

"It's bullshit is what it is, Captain!" Barry erupted, arms crossed formidably across his body. "YOU were headhunted specifically for this job by Mayor Warren's taskforce, and you've already done half the work in setting this all up! This new guy, this..."

"Wesker." Enrico assisted.

"This Wesker is gonna waltz in here and assume command of a unit you've been busting your ass putting together for him."

"Barry, this isn't the time for that discussion." he gestured towards Chris. "I don't disagree, but the money talks. If it's this way or nothing, then I'll gladly choose this way. And I'm sure that whoever this Wesk...Captain Wesker is, he's highly capable. I know he's an Army vet and a skilled tactician. Sounds like a great combination for maneuvering the politics as well as the meat of the job."

"I still think it's bullshit, Captain."

"Noted, Barry. Besides..." Enrico slowly formed a smile. "Captain Wesker doesn't arrive until Monday. Anything we get done over the weekend sticks. Mr. Redfield, would you like a job?" He grinned as Chris became visibly stunned by the bluntness of the proposal.

"No doubt Barry has informed you that we were looking for a Pilot and a sharpshooter. Well, with the reshuffle we've had i'm afraid we need more personnel and I am afraid I can only offer you one of the positions. For specialisation purposes..." he flicked through some paperwork on a clipboard "Well, I probably shouldn't, but I CAN tell you that if we were to take you on as a pilot, that will pay less than bringing you onboard as someone who specialises in firearms and shooting. Especially in the knowledge that you can fly too..." Enrico paused, looking at Chris over the top of his reading glasses, hoping the man would pick up on what he was trying to wordlessly convey.

Chris caught on to what he thought was being said. "As i'm sure you're aware, Captain Marini, a pilot should always have a co-pilot on board in case of emergency. Legally speaking, of course, whenever possible." he stated, businesslike in his demeanour. Barry smiled at the exchange.

"You know, I believe you're right. In which case it makes sense to bring you on board in that capacity, wouldn't you agree? It does mean you'd be spending more time on the streets and at the shooting range than flying a helicopter, though." He showed Chris a piece of paper with a number on it next to a dollar sign. It wasn't a huge number, but Chris thought it was definitely fair compensation, all things considered. Definitely more than a construction job would have paid.

"This is what we're able to offer you for this position. Oh, plus an extra 15% of course. For being our official, legally mandated co-pilot for one of the 2 teams. We should discuss the ins and outs of the job in greater detail before you make a decision." Enrico grinned. "I can't guarantee the same offer will be on the table after the weekend when the new boss arrives, though."

Chris smiled. He was starting to like Enrico a lot. He might actually enjoy this job.


	3. Start of Something

"OK Redfield, another 6. Head, this time."

Chris' eyes narrowed a little to focus his vision. He lined up the sights on the weapon in his hands, which thankfully was an M9. He was confident with his ability to adapt to any firearm, but holding the M9 was like fitting into an old comfy sweater for him. It had been the first weapon he'd ever held, used and trained with. Even though he'd never used this particular gun, he knew he could rely on the consistency of the model. Fired one, fired 'em all. And fire he did. Squeezing the trigger once, twice, six times total, gently but rapidly. On instinct he put the safety on, made sure there wasn't a round in the chamber, removed the clip and set the weapon down in the space of a few seconds before removing his hearing and eye protection, as the target whizzed towards them on the motorised track.

"Impressive shooting, as to be expected!" Exclaimed Enrico. "I'm glad i've seen it for myself, but then a target on a firing range is hardly the same as a real combat situation." He was right of course, but Chris wondered how likely a 'real combat situation' was going to be on the streets of Raccoon City. "True enough, Captain, but the important thing is training yourself properly. Then if you are in a live situation you can let your training and muscle memory do the work, leaving you able to keep your cool, and focus on your objectives."

"True enough, Redfield." Enrico echoed, looking at the impressive grouping and displacement of the shots on the paper target in front of them.

"Sir, I will say these words aloud one time and one time only in Chris' presence. Chris Redfield is a better shooter than me. Live situations, training, you name it. About the only times I ever had the edge on him were when I'd been the one to prepare the equipment and, well, maybe i'd, uh...stacked the deck a tiny bit?" Barry said, smiling cheekily at Chris.  
  
"I _knew_ it!" Chris roared with laughter. Enrico cracked a smile. Even in the most disciplined unit camaraderie and competitiveness were important.

"But my point is, Captain, if you trust my shooting, you can trust Chris'. Simple as that."

"Barry, you can stop selling the man to me! He's here. I sent you to get him and I allowed the use of the chopper to pick him up. As far as i'm concerned, I trust you and if you trust Chris then that is more than good enough for me. I know you wouldn't recommend just anyone for the team we're putting together." Enrico told Barry, him nodding in appreciation at his Captain's compliments. Trusting a friend of a friend was always a gamble, and Enrico's chips were all in on Chris.

"If i may, Captain?" Said Chris as he put his eye and ear protection back on, slid the magazine back in the gun and turned the safety off as his teammates took the lead and put their protection back on. The second the safety was off Chris faced the target and quick-fired another 5 rounds straight from the hip. He was tempted to flourish it by spinning his gun on his finger but figured that sort of horsing around isn't a great way to earn or command respect. He opted to repeat the same good practise he had earlier. Consistency and discipline. From picking the gun up to setting it down again (empty and safe, of course) had perhaps seen the span of about 5 seconds.

"Very impressive!" Enrico said, appreciating the skill involved in firing that quickly and accurately in that manner. If he hadn't witnessed both sets of shots he'd not have been able to determine which ones were which.

"Sir, i've made my decision. It would be my honour to join your team." Chris said, enthusiastically but deliberately. It was always amazing to him how firing a gun a few times helped give him a clarity of mind he rarely had otherwise. It was part of the reason he was eager to get down here and pick up a gun in the first place, aside from proving his ability to Captain Marini. There were definitely... _logistics_ to iron out, but he knew that this decision was the correct one. Everything else, he'd just have to find a way to make work.

"Excellent! Welcome aboard, Redfield!" Enrico beamed, that spark of pride shining through the tiredness. Another few days and all the paperwork, planning, stress, all that stuff would be Wesker's problem, and Enrico would be able to enjoy just doing the job. Let Wesker worry about the rest of the process. "When can you start?"

"Well, i'll need to go home and pack up. I don't...own too many _things_ but there are some things I need to fetch. Plus i'll need to make arrangements for Claire. I don't want her moving school so i'll need to find her someplace to live and I'll need somewhere here to live before i can move so..."

"You'll stay with me, Chris!" Barry cut him off. "Me and Kathy would be glad to have you for a week or two. And with two little girls around I know you'll be gone long before you outstay your welcome!". he offered helpfully, asthough it had already been discussed and decided at the Burton household, which Chris was sure was the case. Chris would always be grateful for Barry Burton. He was a great comrade, a great friend, and inviting him in to his home with his family was, to Chris, an ultimate display of trust. As for the thought of living with two little girls? People often saw Chris as the gruff military jock type, and would forget that he'd been caring for his younger sister since as far back as he could remember. As soon as he was old enough legally he'd done two things; retrieve his sister from foster care, then enlisted in the Air Force, whisking them both away to a better life on an Air Force Base as soon as he could. He sometimes felt more like a parent than a brother, gathering that other people didn't have anywhere near as large a feeling of protection or responsibility for their own siblings as Chris did for Claire.

He took a few seconds to mull things over. "Well, if that's the case" he said, turning and nodding appreciatively to Barry, "I can probably be set up here permanently by the middle of next week. I'm happy to start reporting for duty from Wednesday, Sir."

"Excellent! This day gets better and better. Unfortunately I think you're going to be the last new hire I get to make before Captain Wesker takes over. We should meet the rest of the team. They'll be in from 1400 hours, so we should reconvene then and you can get to know the team as it stands so far. Maybe we'll spend some time spit-balling names for the squad. It'd be nice to get that box ticked before Captain Wesker starts. That way I can at least feel _some_ ownership of the squad.", the first hint of bitterness towards the situation creeping through Enrico's voice. Chris thought that it must really suck to be working this hard towards a goal that is suddenly not your own anymore. Any and all credit for how well this venture went would end up as badges and commendations on Wesker's uniform, and that had to sting a little.

"Great! I'll go retrieve Claire and give her the good news. I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the team!" Chris said earnestly, then paused.

"Um...How do i get back upstairs again?"

\---

The small upstairs reception room was empty, aside from the clerk at the desk. A heavyset black woman with orange fingernails. Her frizzy hair pouffed out into what Chris believed were called Jerry curls, though he had no idea who Jerry was. She eyed the three of them over the top of her magazine as Chris asked if there had been a brunette with a ponytail in here at all.

"Oh, Claire just left, sorryyyyy!" She put the magazine down, revealing a candy bar and drink on her desk close to her left hand. "You must be the big brother who's moving to the city next week!" Chris was stunned by the clerk's apparent clairvoyance. "Yeah, she was telling me all about it, how you're comin' down to join the new SWAT Force or whatever it is. You boys must be some kinda big shot police men, huh!" She said with genuine interest coming through her enthusiastic personality, which Chris supposed probably made her very good at her job. 

He rolled his eyes to himself. Trust Claire to have known the decision he'd make long before he'd actually got there himself.

"Y...yeah, something like that." Enrico and Barry looked amused at the situation. "Listen, did she say where she was going?"

"Well of course she did, darlin'. And she said you'd come looking for her too. She has you pegged, Mr. Redfield!" Claire had, apparently, been having a good long conversation with this lady about the ins and outs of the situation. Just great, Chris thought. "She said she had a phone-call to make and decided to use the phone back in your office rather than waste your money on the pay-phone. She's a real sweetie, that Claire, i'm tellin' you!"

"OK, thanks. Be seeing you!" Chris said as he turned and opened the door to the main hallway.

"It's Shanice, by the way! See you around the water-cooler, Chris!"

Chris cringed a little as he left. Didn't even ask her her name! He would need to remember that he was moving here soon. These weren't just people, they were people he was going to be seeing every day. Colleagues. The idea would definitely take some getting used to.

\---

"Chris! Great news!" Claire pounced as soon as Chris entered the office, just behind Enrico and Barry. "I went to the the reception room with the vending machine and I met Shanice, the upstairs receptionist". Great, Chris thought. Of course _Claire_ had thought to ask her her name. "I was telling her all about how you're going to be moving down here when you accept the position" she said, inflection rising at the end to imply a question while eyeing Enrico for some kind of confirmation. He laughed, which apparently gave her the conformation she needed. "Excuse us." He added while her flow was broken, and he picked up a handful of papers, and motioned for Barry to join him in the side office, affording them some privacy. Claire continued "And how i'm going to have to find somewhere else to live back home because no way were you going to pull me out of school to move with you even though i'd totally love to live here with you". Chris was stunned at this barage of accurate information coming at him. If he didn't know better he'd swear his sister could read his mind. "So I got off my butt and called Janey to see if I'd be able to live there until College!"

Chris was mortified. The thought of calling a friend to see if she could lodge for a year and a half for free was, to Chris, embarrasing to say the least. He had no idea what he _was_ going to do, but it wouldn't have been that. 

"She said her dad said it's fine in principle but he'd like to talk to you before making a firm decision."

Janey Harrington was as close to a best friend as Claire had ever had. From foster homes to military base living, Claire had never really had many friends. She really blossomed on the base though and after leaving, by sheer luck and coincidence, Claire had met Janey at school. Chris couldn't go as far as calling Claire an army brat since she'd only ever lived on the one base and only for a few years, but Janey had been a full blown Brat. She'd lived on a few bases in her short life and when her and Claire met it was the first school she'd attended outside of a base, thanks to her dad retiring. Her father was a full-fledged, old-school military man softened a little by age. He knew what the life was like and how tough it could be to make a normal life work after service. But Claire and Janey had, perhaps ironically, bonded over the fact they both felt like outcasts in a normal school. Neither had friends and both were more mature and independent than their peers because that's just how life is on the base. And like a miracle, they'd found each other and become fast friends. If anybody in this life was like a brother to Chris it was Barry Burton, and if anybody was like a sister to Claire it was Janey Harrington. If anybody was capable of keeping Claire in school through to graduation it was Janey, and being in the care of a retired military man? Chris knew there was no way in hell either of them would be allowed to drop out.

"That's...great! I guess... This is all happening so fast though!" Chris didn't shrink against pressure very often. He was trained specifically to keep his cool under pressure. But he was starting to feel a overwhelmed with everything this day was throwing at him. "And now on top of everything i've got to call Mr. Harrington to hammer out the details. Plus I need to pack and..."

" _Colonel_ Harrington." Claire corrected. "He's _very_ strict." Chris shrunk back a little. The last time he'd spoken to a high-ranking official it...hadn't gone too well. Chris was tired of the mistreatment he felt he'd been receiving. He'd done his duty for more than 2 years and still felt like nobody had any respect for him. Chris ran on respect and knew that receiving it was as good as the lack of receiving it was damaging. He'd started proving his worth since the second week of basic training.

"Oh, and you bought Shanice a Butterfingers and a diet Dr Pepper. She said she owes you! You should _definitely_ collect too. She's cute!" Just like Claire to be so generous. Especially with _my_ money, Chris thought. "Not really my type." he mumbled, almost absent mindedly. He had _so_ much to work out over the next few days, and that was all so he could start a new job which would, for the most part, be all about working more things out. At least in the short-term. When the squad is up and running it'll be the day-to-day stuff, but at least he'd have a great insight on how the unit was put together. He'd understand the structure more, and that was always good.

Chris picked up the telephone, base unit and all, and pointed to it to Enrico on the other side of the closed office door, wordlessly asking permission to make a phone call. Enrico nodded with an expression that said he was surprised Chris felt like he had to ask in the first place. He put the base unit back down and asked Claire for Janey's house phone number, which Claire recited from memory dutifully as his fingers responsively punched the buttons in. 

"Harrington Residence." A gruff voice answered the phone. Sounded like a smoker, Chris thought. Judging from the sound, the person on the other end could have been anywhere from 40 to 70 years old. It had him thinking that he should probably quit smoking himself. Again. 

"uh...Good Afternoon, Colonel Harrington, Sir." Chris had hesitated for _juuuust_ a second then switched the 'dealing with authority' switch in his brain. "This is Chris Redfield speaking." Practically standing to attention, as though the Colonel would see his flagrant disregard for authority somehow.

A long, mirthful laugh, then a few seconds of a hacking cough followed "Ah, Chris Redfield! Very good to speak to you! And let me guess, your sister told you that i'm a strict formal military man, is that right?" he rasped through amusement. Chris' eyes widened and looked over at Claire who was very visibly red-faced and trying not to burst out laughing. Chris was immediately on the back-foot. This was worse than dealing with the man Chris thought he'd be talking to.

"Please, call me Emmett. Colonel Harrington on the base, Emmett face-to-face. Or on the telephone in this case. Hey, that rhymed!" Chris was suddenly absolutely lost. He had no idea what to make of this man. And yet a small part of him wished he'd served under him. An approachable superior with a sense of humour would have gone a long way.

"Yes, sir. Emmett. I'm calling to discuss my sister's temporary living arrangements."

"Chris, i'll be straight with you. Claire is an absolute peach and is always a delight when she comes over to our place. Very respectful. And, you know, as a military man and a father, I was always concerned about my daughter's wellbeing, and your Claire has been a godsend for my Janey."

\---

A lengthy conversation followed, and Chris actually began to really like the man. Emmett Harrington was...an interesting character. Part straight-laced Colonel, part utter goofball, with a healthy dose of acquired wisdom along the way. The conversation actually made Chris feel infinitely more comfortable about the idea of his Daughter living with this man, his wife and his 2 daughters. They came to the agreement that Claire could live with them for free, but she would be a member of the family. That included any chores and things like that, and Colonel Emmett Harrington ran 'a ship so tight I should have been in the Navy' he had quipped. It was a fairly large house in the city and even with Claire living there they still had at least 1 guest room, and the house was always immaculate. Chris could picture Claire and Janey on their stomachs cleaning the kitchen floor with a toothbrush like he'd had to those times in Basic.

Chris hung up the phone after thanking Emmett, and turned to Claire, who was watching him with a barely contained excitement. "Well, looks like you're gonna be living with the Harringtons until further notice!" And with that, Claire burst into a squealed excitement he was sure the K-9 units in the basement could hear. "But if you change your name to Claire Harrington, i'm pulling you out of there! Us Redfields gotta stick together!" She practically leapt across the room and squeezed him with her arms in a giant affectionate hug.

"Thank you SO much Chris. I just...I knew you wouldn't have pulled me out of school at home and besides, I _wanted_ to stay there. I'm _sooooo_ close to graduation and changing school again could mess up my credits and. Oh Chris. I'm going to miss you!" She said, starting to tear up. The situation was suddenly very real to her. The idea of living with your friend in her big fancy house is a fun one, and she knew she'd have a good time, but she had just agreed to the idea of living in a completely different _city_ to Chris. Hell, she'd practically orchestrated it. She would be glad for a little freedom and to be around other girls for once, but mostly she would miss her brother.

"Heh, don't worry about that, kiddo!" Chris had teased. "We've got the weekend to explore the city a bit and spend some quality time together, and you can come and stay with me here during breaks and holidays and stuff." Her eyes widened with her smile, hints of tears glistening in the bottom of her eyelids under the stark and cold strip lighting above them.

BANG!

"AAOWH FUCK!"

There was a sudden loud noise and yelp of pain from the door to the office. Both of their heads whipped towards the door, and Chris darted across the room to open it and see what was causing the commotion. As soon as the door opened a man fell backwards into the room. He landed on his ass, toppled back from that and banged his head on the hard tiled floor. less than a foot from the open door was a heavy looking wooden desk with a lady holding the other end of the desk off the ground. He was lithe looking, exposing his frame while sprawled on his back on the floor. He winced and groaned and Chris got an air of _energy_ from the guy, like he had ADD or something. The woman in the hallway, on the other hand, was a slim brunette with a hard edge to her. Her demeanour, her physique, her _glare._ She seemed like the exact opposite of Shanice in every way.

Chris held out a hand to help the man off the ground, and as he looked up quizzically and took his hand, the woman in the hallway piped up.

"Who the hell are _you_?" She said, assertive, but not mean. Chris was glad there was a heavy wooden desk between the two of them and she was stuck on the other side of the doorway.

"Thought the door was open. Was trying to push it open with my butt and Jill here pinned me to the door!" Said the man as he stood straight and brushed himself off a little.

"Don't blame me!" She shot back, before turning her gaze back to Chris, who was suddenly feeling exhausted. He was used to his entire day sitting on the couch scanning the local papers for work, cooking for him and Claire, then chilling out in front of the TV. Comparatively, today just wouldn't stop throwing things at him. "Who _are_ you?" She demanded this time.

"Sorry. My name is Chris and"

"His name is Chris Redfield and he is the newest member of our team, so play _nice_ please Jill." Said Enrico pointedly as he and Barry emerged from the side office. Chris couldn't help but notice a small smile of enjoyment on Barry's face. Chris suspected that Barry would have let Jill try to arrest him for trespassing before he'd stepped in.

"Chris, these are your teammates. Jill Valentine, and Joseph Frost."

"Captain Marini, you neglected to mention we'd have a new recruit joining us today!" Jill said, looking a little sheepish. She was visibly embarrassed for a second or two for how she'd been treating Chris. He held out a hand towards Joseph who took it and gave it a good shake. "Nice to meet you, partner! Look forward to workin' with ya'!" Joseph said. "Shit, hold on a sec." And with that he grabbed the end of the desk that was blocking the doorway and he and Jill carried it over the threshold and into the room. A few police officers crossed impatiently behind Jill, since apparently the desk had been obstructing the narrow hallway. Jill confidently strode in through the door and held her hand out. "Sorry about that just now. There's only a few of us allowed access to this room right now. Got to look out for security breaches and things like that!" Chris smiled and agreed as he shook her hand "Hey, I coulda been anyone. Can't be too careful these days. Always on duty, am I right?" He offered. "Pleasure to meet you. Both of you."

"So what do you do, Chris?" blurted out Joseph.

"Huh? Oh, right. I...uh. I shoot stuff?" He joked. "I'm a marksman and a pilot, so I can get us in, help eliminate a threat, then get us out again, I guess."

" _Co_ -pilot." Enrico stressed. "Chris will only be flying us in the event that our pilot is unable to fulfil his duties. When we _have_ a pilot, that is."

Joseph made a fist and pointed to his chest with an outstretched thumb "I'm maintenance, among other things! Vehicle maintenance, equipment maintenance, technician too! AND i'm more than qualified to handle any dangerous goods and substances." This gave Chris a small chill. _This_ guy was responsible for making sure their equipment all worked how it was meant to, _and_ handle explosives and stuff. Yeesh.

"Joseph, like the rest of us, is one of the best in his field at what he does. Despite how he...presents himself." Enrico simultaneously vouched for and chided the man.

"Hey!" Joseph cried in theatrical outrage.

Enrico continued "And Jill is"

" _Jill_ is perfectly able to speak for herself, thank you Captain!" Jill asserted. That same tone from before. Assertive but not rude. She clearly had a lot of confidence, and exhuded the air of a woman who had fought for a long time for acceptance in a mans world. Chris knew all too well not to underestimate the fairer sex. He'd lived with and locked horns with his sister enough times to know better. "Ex-USASOC, fully Delta trained. Counter-terrorism, bomb disposal, lock-picking and urban access, you name it."

"That's a hell of a resume, Valentine!" Chris spoke up, genuinely impressed. He wondered if she was the most trained person in the room. In _any_ room.

"Heh. Nimble fingers, cool under pressure, and precision, that's all. My parents had me taking piano lessons when i turned 5. And please, call me Jill." 

"Knock, knock!" came a deep, smooth, almost musical voice from the doorway, knocking in unison with his words. A tall man stood in the doorway, at least 6'4 and black skinned. He walked in the room and winked at Claire. "And you must be our new commando! Well I can tell you got plenty of experience behind you! I wouldn't wanna mess with you, that's for sure." He joked. Claire blushed a tiny bit for the attention, the new man coming across as a natural charmer. 

"Kenneth! Right on time. Meet Chris Redfield, our new sharpshooter and co-pilot." Enrico offered. Kenneth strode up to Chris, left hand in his pocket and right arm bent at the elbow for a handshake. He shot Chris a wide smile and said "Chris Redfield. Chris Redfield." He repeated, in an attempt to commit the name to memory. "Pleasure to meet you, my man. Kenneth. I work with chemicals and chemical analysis. Half lab geek and half feet-on-the-ground soldier boy. Liked both too much to pick jus' one! Welcome aboard! We building something real special up here."

"Here we are then, the 6 of us! That's one complete squad, going by the numbers alone. Plus the new Captain on Monday makes 7."

"And I can be your mascot!" Chimed in Claire. "Or at least an honorary member?" She said, jokingly pleading.

"I'll make you a deal, Claire. You can be an honorary member after you finish high-school. But we only take the best of the best, so that offer only stands if you finish top of your class!" Enrico joked.

"I'll do my best, Captain" she said, standing up and saluting, a wide cheeky smile on her face.

So this is the team so far, huh? Chris thought, looking around. Everyone had begun chatting among themselves and joking around, a level of familiarity which Chris was certain he'd be part of in no time. Joseph was jumping up trying to put Kenneth in a headlock despite their size difference, and Barry, clearly the parent of the group, telling Joseph to knock it off. Claire was asking Jill something he assumed was no doubt girls talk until he heard Claire whispering the words 'Lockpick' and 'Explosive' and wondered if he should interject before Claire got any ideas, and Jill was laughing with her and seemed infinitely more personable than she had at first. Enrico watched the group with his arms crossed and, unless Chris was mistaken, a look on his face of unabashed pride. Chris, for the first time since the shooting range earlier in the day, felt relaxed and at peace. Here, and with these people. There was still another 5 personnel needed to round the squad out, but as Enrico had said earlier, that was the new Captain's problem now. Chris Redfield had that same feeling as earlier. This had been the right decision to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should've mentioned at the start that STARS were formed in 1996, so this is all set in 1996. I decided on early in the year, probably February, because it gives me more time to do things to establish the team and the dynamic. 2 years isn't really a long time and we know STARS finished in 1998 so i gotta squeeze as much as I can out of it!
> 
> (in my mind Joseph's personality and demeanour is basically Zeke from Bob's Burgers and I will not apologise.)


	4. All-Stars

"Anyway, you two get off your damn butts and start pullin' your weight around here! Especially YOU, new guy! We need more desks in here, and me and Jilly just dragged this one down." Joseph had joked, tapping twice on the desk he was sitting by with his index and middle fingers.

" _Please_ don't ever call me Jilly" Jill said. Joseph's eyes lit up. He loved pressing people's buttons for fun and Jill had just given him a nice shiny red button to push whenever he pleased. "And YOU dragged it. I carried it. Just like i'm gonna be carrying you when we're out in the field." Chris had to admit he was rapidly warming to Jill. Chris knew the key to dealing with a woman who wouldn't take any shit; don't give her any shit. She could give as good as she got.

"Oooh Jilly how could you wound me so!" Joseph retorted, dramatically clutching his chest."

Chris and Kenneth had 'pulled their weight' as Joseph had put it by going up to the storage room at the top of the building and retrieving another desk, bringing the total to 4 in the bullpen, and one in what Chris was confident would be the Captain's office. Chris let Kenneth take the lead as he was familiar with the station, and as they lugged the heavy desk through the door to the office they realised everyone was gone. A few minutes passed, in which Chris and Kenneth chatted while rearranging the desks to provide a bit of order to the room. It was actually starting to look like it would become a functioning office where people sat and did their paperwork or whatever went on in an office.

"WHEEEE!" came a voice that could only be Claire as she scooted into the room atop a wheeled office chair, kicking the ground in front of her with both feet to propel her backwards.

"WHEEEEEEE!" followed an older, gruffer voice as Joseph followed suit. Jill came in next wheeling a chair with each hand, an expression on her face which screamed 'exhausted parent', Joseph being her misbehaving child, and Barry and Enrico followed behind with a chair each. A lot of their equipment and furniture was going to come from the station itself, to save what precious budget they had been graciously provided. They needed to prove their salt as a team in order to acquire more funding from their current investors and, hopefully, more investors too. Or at least sponsors. But until then, their guns were essentially armoury hand-me-downs, their desks, telephone, chairs, everything they had had essentially come from the station, and as such a lot of it was stuff that was left in storage, AKA the stuff that nobody else in the station wanted to use any more. Some of the wheels on the chairs were a little loose, the desks had small chips on the corners, things like that. And as Enrico had explained, since they were technically operating as part of the RPD, all of their funding had to go through the police department and the police chief before it got to them, so they didn't even know who a lot of their investors were. It sounded a little like some kind of pyramid scheme or money laundering thing to Chris, having their money have to funnel through the police department before it got to them, but obviously that wasn't the case. You'd have to be insane to try and launder money _through_ the police department.

They arranged the chairs around the desks and, Chris found himself thinking again how much like a functioning workplace it was beginning to look like.

They all took a seat, and Enrico produced a filter coffee machine machine from the corner office which was like the cherry on top of the cake for Chris. NOW he could call it an office.

"Now, we're at work so we can't exactly have a proper toast, but let's pour a few coffees and have a team meeting! ...Team meeting, plus one." Enrico added at the end, smiling at Claire. These guys were all so welcoming and accommodating to the fact they had a teenage girl with them for the day. It really helped Chris feel welcome as part of a new team.

The coffee slowly brewed in the machine, and in the meantime Joseph had gone to retrieve some mugs and Claire had gone to get a soda so they could all have a drink together. The door burst open (Chris absolutely noticed Barry's hand instinctively travel to his hip, where his gun would usually be) and Joseph stumbled into the room cradling an armful of mugs close to his body. "I only dropped 1! And it didn't even break!" he exclaimed, like he was genuinely proud of himself. Chris was starting to wonder if he was deliberately trying to assert himself as 'class clown' and would dial it back when his role was firmly in place. "I found this mug in the hallway?" Claire said quizzically as she walked in the door carrying 3 sodas and 2 candy bars, and a mug hanging from her pinky. She plonked the 2 candy bars and 2 of the sodas down in front of Chris and said dutifully "THESE. Are from Shanice. She owed you one from earlier, but she got you an extra one so now _you_ owe _her_." she emphasised those two words, 'you' and 'her', and it was in that moment that Chris Redfield _knew_ that Claire would be the death of him one way or another. Barry let out a big, loud Barry laugh and Enrico had a hearty chuckle. Jill and Kenneth smiled and shared a look, not knowing the full situation but definitely knowing when a man in his 20s was being given the business by his teenage sister, and Joseph laughed while he tried to put his armful of mugs down on a desk even though he wasn't actually _holding_ any of them. 

"Aaaah busting your nuts, eh bro? Yeaaahp little sisters will do that to ya! Heh heh." Chris felt like Joseph must be a complicated man. He came across as so child-like and naive, like he was the entire world's annoying younger brother, and yet he was also a genius technician and, Chris shuddered, ' _qualified to handle dangerous good and explosives_ '. He wasn't even proving himself capable of handling 7 mugs.

Joseph poured a few coffees and slid them across the desk towards their intended recipients like an old-western bartender, sloshing hot coffee over the old wooden surface in the process. "Here, let me help with that." Claire offered as Jill grabbed some napkins from a small plastic caddy full of sugars, sweeteners, creamers, stirrers and napkins that Enrico had retrieved from the side-office and placed in the middle of the desk, and started blotting up the coffee, eyeing Joseph angrily. Claire poured a few more drinks and handed them out, until everyone had a coffee and she had her soda.

"Well, let's start our first official team meeting, shall we?" Enrico said hoarsely after taking a small sip of his drink to gauge it's temperature. "First order of business is..." he peered over the top of his glasses to check his notes "does anybody have any recommendations for potential team members?" Barry shook his head and said "Not now Chris is here." and Chris breathed a sigh of relief. He loved the man like family but the idea of serving here with anyone else from the old unit didn't sit well with him after how he'd left.

"I might know a guy!" Chimed in Joseph. "He's ex-Army and real good with a gun. Best shot I ever seen i'm telling you boss!" And there was a collective air in the room of trepidation. They were all unsure of how well they could trust a recommendation that _Joseph_ was making.

"Excellent, Joseph. We'll discuss him in further detail later on. Thank you." Enrico had responded. And of course, Chris thought, If anyone in the room trusted in Joseph's abilities or his word, it would be Enrico. Hell, he'd probably seen firsthand what the man was capable of. He certainly had with Chris.

Chris suddenly had a thought. "Captain, as you may have heard earlier, Claire is going to be staying with a friend until graduation. Her friend's father is a retired Colonel in the Army. I can ask him if he has any recommendations for personnel. I'm sure we could even ask for recommendations on specific roles that need filling."

"Excellent idea Chris. If you can have a conversation with him and get back to me afterwards, that could be a tremendous lead."

Chris actually felt a little proud. It was a simple idea but he felt like he was actively contributing to the new team. Then he remembered that the only other person who had suggested anyone was Joseph and suddenly questioned his decision.

"Well then, if nobody else has anyone to recommend, we'll move on. Second order of business, and i'd really like it if we could nail this one down asap, we need a name for our team. Does anyone have any thoughts?"

And so they began ideas. People were pitching in ideas and suggestions and they began writing down key words and things they liked the sound of.

"Ooo, what about the A-Team!" Joseph said enthusiastically. Chris could practically hear Jill's eyes rolling in her skull, and Kenneth let out a small chuckle. "Guess that makes me Mr .T then, huh?" Jill chipped in with "And Joseph is clearly Howling Mad.", which saw more laughter from the group.

"Ooo, what about the Power Rangers!" Claire joked, doing a fair imitation of Joseph's accent and voice. This had the group in hysterics, but none more than Joseph himself. At least he had some small degree of self-awareness and could laugh at his own expense. "Oh, you got me good, girl! Captain I like this one, can we keep her too?" he said through laughter.

They settled down and began discussing thoughts again.

"It needs to be something unifying and militaristic, to make it sound like we're cutting edge military experts." Said Barry.

"As opposed to a collection of weirdos in an office full of broken old furniture." Kenneth joked.

"Shanice kept calling it SWAT-Force." Claire added. "Obviously you can't use that though." She mused.

"What does SWAT even stand for anyway?" Joseph thought aloud. Almost in unison Enrico and Barry responded. 'Special Weapons And Tactics'. It makes sense that they were the first to answer; it _had_ been both of their most recently held jobs. There was a tone to the autonomy in which they both spoke, as though they were used to being asked the question by every civvie they spoke to on duty.

"Well, we got the Tactics but not the Special Weapons. Hows about OWAT? Old-ass Weapons and Tactics." Kenneth continued to joke.

"Hopefully in time we'll have the budget to...diversify our armoury, but for now we could hardly boast of Special Weapons." Added Enrico, clearly hung on the line of thought. "But it feels like we're on the right track. Special Weapons, Special Forces..."

"Special Operations Command" Jill added, referencing her old unit.

"How about Special Tactics Division?" Joseph interjected, looking pleased at the thought. Unfortunately there was no hint of a joke, and Chris knew he'd have to break the news and shatter his suggestion.

"Joseph, that would make us the STD..."

"Aaaow shoot! Dangit it sounded so good too!", the frustration evident in his voice. Eager to help get the best out of his teammate, Chris quickly consoled "Special Tactics sounds great though! Just...not Division."

"You need to be cool like SWAT. Storm in looking all badass and kicking butt. Special Tactics AND something. You can't just be special tactics, you gotta have something else in there too." Said Claire, trying her best to contribute.

They were all following the thread of thought and couldn't disagree "Special Tactics and... Special tactics and..." a few of them were murmuring, trying to make their brains automatically fill in the blanks.

"What if we try to make it a word, like SWAT, and then work backwards to fit the letters?" Barry added. "For example, STAND. Special Tactics And..."

"Special Tactics And Never Dying!" Joseph joked. "OOH, or Special Tactics And."

Kenneth cut him off with a blunt, direct pitch "Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Team. START." He smiled, and winked at Joseph in apology for interrupting.

"Huh. START. I like it!" Barry agreed. It sounded great and fit well.

"It's a little redundant though." Jill took the lead. "Special Tactics AND Recon? Recon IS one of the special tactics we'll be using. It's like we're...repeating ourselves, kinda?" She said, unsure if she was just splitting hairs.

"So if recon is one of the tactics we'll be _using_ , then what are we gonna use those tactics _for_?" Kenneth continued.

"Well we're gonna be police so like...stopping crimes? Special Tactics And Crime Stoppers. STACS?" Joseph was trying his best to be helpful, and Chris couldn't help but soften to the guy. He'd probably be a lot more helpful if he thought about what he was saying before he said it, but his brain seemed to have a direct line to his mouth, with no filtration system between. He knew already he would never have to worry about Joseph being anything other than honest.

"Special Tactics And Rescue Team. START!" Barry added enthusiastically. He looked like he believed he'd nailed it and solved the puzzle.

"Hmm...Nice one, Burton! I like that a lot. Sounds good to me." Kenneth enthused. 

Enrico's brow furrowed momentarily. "What about...Special Tactics And Rescue Squad. STARS."

"STARS...Man, that sounds awesome!" Joseph was the first to chip in.

"Gotta say Enrico, STARS works as a name way better than START." Barry conceded.

"Jill Valentine. STARS." Jill tried it on. "I like it!"

"Always told my Ma I'd end up a star! Look at me now, ma!" Joseph said to nobody. Claire looked amused, at least.

"STARS is fine with me." Chris added.

"STARS it is then? Special Tactics And Rescue Squad? Is everybody in agreement?" Enrico propositioned.

Everyone looked to each other for any objections, then looked back to Enrico and nodded agreement.

"OK, Perfect! STARS it is, then!"

Everyone looked pleased. It was one of the final pieces of the puzzle. They had an office, furniture, enough members to start the ball rolling on operations, and a name. Enrico especially was happy to have a name in place before the new Captain could start. Something definite and authorative that he knew predated Captain Wesker ever setting foot in the building. It felt good to have at least left a large stamp on what was supposed to be his team. STARS.

Joseph was scribbling away on a piece of lined A4 paper. "There we go!" and he proudly held up his work in landscape. It read STARS OFFICE in large capital letters, with a large star drawn around the words, two large triangles drawn over each other to form a 6-sided star. Chris thought it somewhat resembled a Sheriff's badge, and he couldn't say he didn't like that. Joseph leapt up and went to tape it to the outside of the door, excited with his creation.

"That's a star of David..." Jill sighed to the rest of the team, who joined her in a laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly falling in love with Joseph. Having relatively blank-slate characters like him is so much fun.


	5. A Snake in the STARS

Chris had decided to head back on Saturday instead of Sunday. He figured if he could get packed up and get Claire over to Janey's before lunchtime Sunday, he could grab a bite and start the journey down to Raccoon in his car, and be there ready to start work on Monday morning. He might be a bit tired, but he'd _be_ there, and for the first time in a long time he felt excited to be somewhere.

Him and Claire had spent the rest of Thursday visiting the Raccoon City Zoo (her favourite things to see had been Oscar the elephant, who she had thought was a baby but was actually older than Chris, and the Raccoon Raccoon Exhibit, which showcased various species of Raccoons from around the world.) and then returned to the motel for some dinner before going to their room to watch a movie. Chris enjoyed the part of his dinner that was amber coloured, came in a glass and was probably flammable, while Claire was in love with their signature Apple Pie, named after the establishment itself.

"So, how do you feel, Chris? Big day, huh!" Claire said, curled up in an armchair in her pajamas.

"Yeah. Everything feels so...different. My life is gonna be completely different tomorrow than it was yesterday, you know?"

"Yeah. Barry really swooped in from nowhere like a fairy godmother, waved his magic wand and changed things practically overnight for us both!"

Chris choked a little on his drink, the bitter sting catching his throat. The image of Barry in fairy-wings with a magic wand was too much as he erupted laughing.

"What?" Claire looked puzzled.

A second or two passed before Chris could compose himself properly. "I'm never gonna be able to get the mental picture of Fairy Burton out of my head!", and Claire responded with laughter.

"But yeah, you're 100% right. I should buy him a thank-you gift or something."

Claire smiled sweetly and nodded in agreement. Then her eyes opened wide with a sudden excitement.

"That's what we can do tomorrow!" She said, almost pleadingly. "We were at the station today and then the zoo after, and tomorrow we should hit the shops! Have a look around and see what's what, and maybe pick up a gift for Barry and his family!"

As much as Chris didn't really want to spend his whole day walking around shops, he agreed anyway. Shopping wasn't exactly his idea of fun, but he was eager to spend as much time with Claire as he could before he came to live in Raccoon. Living apart would be weird for them both, but Claire would finish school then return to a big house with a big-screen TV and a big family, and Chris would finish work and return to an empty apartment, after he'd moved out of the Burton house anyway. The protective instinct he felt for her told him unquestionably that what he was doing was best for her, for both of them, but it still killed him that the best way he could act in her best interest was to live hundreds of miles away. He knew she would be in safe hands, but not _his_ hands. But, he smiled to himself, at least if there was some kind of emergency he had a chopper and an armed squad of, well, STARS at his disposal.

"Sounds good. We'll hit some of the boutiques and stores and find something to thank Barry for everything." He confirmed. Claire squealed a little with glee at the idea of shopping in the big city. She pictured herself in a long fur coat and fancy sunglasses strutting down the street, while Chris held lots of big bags and a stack of hat boxes.

Chris suddenly realised what he'd signed up for. What the hell do you even _buy_ for a guy like Barry?

\---

They wandered around the city center of Raccoon, Claire marvelling at all the storefronts filled with mannequins wearing glamorous clothing, the stores selling jewellery and accessories, and the occasional bakery wafting out the scent of sweet freshly baked treats. Chris was keeping his eye out for decidedly more masculine places. A fishing shop, somewhere he could buy a nice watch that wouldn't break the bank, an army surplus store, _anything_. They trudged around, occasionally dipping into this store so Claire could try on a jacket, or that store so she could look at some shoes, and Chris did notice her eyes lingering as they walked past the Harley dealership. Chris knew that Claire seemed to be into bikes. She thought she hid it well but Chris had been a teenager once too, hiding things from their foster-parents. Sneaking out after curfew, midnight dirtbike rides with his friends, drinking beer and smoking cigarettes in Gary Mattherson's basement. He hoped that Claire wasn't getting herself in trouble, but he knew that she wasn't just eating lollipops and talking about boys late into the night with Janey Harrington. And sometimes they'd see a biker roaring down the road and Claire's neck would whip around so quickly Chris wondered if it was still connected to her spine, and she'd occasionally make passing remarks about cylinders and things like that that no teenage girl who knew nothing about motorcycles would know about. Chris was good at picking up on the clues that Claire didn't even know she was dropping. He was sort of amazed she hadn't just flat out asked for one as a birthday present.

Chris had decided right then, on the spot, that he was getting Claire a motorbike for a high-school graduation gift. He knew that it would make him officially the coolest brother, hell, the coolest legal guardian that school had ever seen. Plus she'd need transportation for when college started, and she'd be able to come see him in Raccoon without him having to fetch her from wherever she was going to be for college. If only picking a gift for Barry was that easy.

They decided to break for lunch. Claire had picked up a few souvenirs of her weekend in the city; a new pair of boots and a nice pair of what Chris assumed were fashionable sunglasses. Both suited her well, he thought. Most clothing and accessories did. They stopped at a little burger place and Chris realised that through the gaps in the nearby buildings he could see the RPD. He noted that, and what the building looked like from a distance. Always good to get your bearings, and he'd need to be able to find his way there in a vehicle or on foot from anywhere in the city soon enough. They were going to sit outside and eat but it was still a little chilly out. Not so bad for walking around but sitting down and staying still made it just a little too cold to bear, plus it would make their food cold much quicker. They picked a booth in the 60s diner themed restaurant with the black and white tiled floor and the red leather booth seats, and took off their jackets. Chris tended to wear a body-warmer style vest in weather like this. He hated the feeling of long sleeves tickling his wrists and he hated the feeling of restricted movement a tight jacket gave him around his shoulders and upper back. Plus, he thought it looked cool. Claire had gone for a sporty look today, wearing a blue Adidas tracksuit jacket over jeans and a t-shirt. Chris was very aware that Claire didn't tend to dress how other girls did; she had her own style and Chris loved that. She really was an independent young woman, with a mind of her own and a good head on her shoulders. 

Claire grabbed up the menu that was waiting for them on the table. "Chris this place is awesome. Just like in the movies! I've _got_ to have a milkshake! And look at this burger! Two patties, double cheese, onion rings, bacon, pickles..." Chris wrinkled his nose. If there was one flaw, one single identifiable flaw his sister displayed, it's that she loved pickles. Chris didn't understand the appeal at all. They were slimy and smelly. Gross. "I think i'm gonna go for something that doesn't have gross lumps of snot, thanks." He joked to Claire. Their disagreement over pickles was definitely a running gag between the two of them. They had had thoughtful discussions and heated debates over which one was right and which one was wrong. "Well don't come cryin' to me when the world ends and you're too delicate to eat something which has been preserved, bro!" She said cheekily. Of course, there was always a jar of pickles in the apartment. Chris didn't like them but he didn't dislike them as much as he made out he did to antagonise his sister. And if a jar in a cupboard helped make his sister happy it was the least he could do.

A waitress approached the table and smiled pleasantly, if not a little tiredly. Poor girl probably worked every hour she could to afford city life, Chris thought. She pulled out a small flip-over notepad and a pencil from the breast-pocket of her blouse and took their order. Chris opted for a Coke and Claire had a strawberry milkshake, and both had the same burger that Claire had pointed out. "No pickles on mine, please." Chris had requested, when Claire piped up. "His pickles on mine please!". The waitress ('Debby', Chris had noted from her namebadge.) smiled and went back to the kitchen.

"Claire, what the hell am I gonna get Barry?" He asked almost rhetorically. He'd love some inspiration, but wasn't too sure that Claire would be the one to provide it.

"How about a nice tie-clip?" Claire added thoughtfully. Chris' suspicions were correct.

They chatted over lunch about Chris' new job and Claire moving in with Janey and stuff he'd need to do back home to prepare to move here. Luckily he rented his apartment so he just needed to inform his landlady and his gas, electric, phone and things would be dealt with. He'd need to notify his bank but couldn't really do that until he had a fixed address here. He'd need to update emergency contact information with the school to the Harrington's. Claire spoke about school and the two teachers who, rumour had it, were secretly dating. Lots of the kids (likely just parroting their parents, Chris thought) were against the idea of two women dating, thought it was weird or wrong or gross but Claire thought it was really sweet. She confided in him that she had slipped an anonymous note in the teachers' desk drawer that read 'I hope the rumours are true because you two make a cute couple'. Chris couldn't help but feel proud of his sister. She was so accepting and open-minded when the other kids were judgemental jerks. She really was walking her own path. Damn, he was gonna miss this kid. It wasn't a cool thing to admit out loud, but he loved his little sister more than anyone else alive. She was his sister and his responsibility and the biggest cause of stress and concern in his life and she was his best friend. He was going to miss just being able to go out for a burger and chat, he was going to miss mock debates over pickles, he was going to miss her yelling at him to not leave dirty socks on the floor in the apartment. He had told himself again and again, she's going to college next year. They were always going to be living apart eventually, Claire was growing up and going to be taking her own path in life and if he kept thinking of her as 'kid' then she would never grow into the fierce, strong woman she was obviously well on her way to becoming. But now, with Raccoon and STARS, Chris had a path to travel on too, and he was incredibly grateful for the opportunity Barry had given him. He had been focusing on Claire leaving because he was going to miss her, and he had no idea what he would do with his life when she was gone. Now _he_ had something too.

They finished up and Chris settled the bill, which came to 22.50 for the pair of them; two burgers with fries and 4 drinks total. He handed her a $50, and she started counting change out. Chris interrupted her counting. "Debby, the food was great and the service was fantastic. Please, the rest is a tip. You've earned it." Debby thanked him, and he was pretty sure he could see tears forming in her eyes. He knew waitresses relied on tips to survive and aside from the one guy at the counter nursing a coffee and reading a paper, the place was empty. They put their jackets on, thanked Debby again, and left.

\---

"Hoooooly..!" Chris said, catching himself before the exclamation went through to completion. He dashed over to the grubby window of the pawnshop they were passing to see if what he thought he saw was, infact, what he thought it was. And it was. It was! It was more than he'd been looking to spend but it was also cheaper than he had ever seen one. If Chris believed in God he'd have sworn this was a sign. 

"Claire, do you see that? Do you know what that is?"

"Ummm...yeah? But not really. It's huge though!"

Chris grinned, an almost primal grin " _Yeah_ it is. I'll tell you what _that_ is, Claire. _That_ is _not_ a tie-clip!" And he grabbed her by the hand and practically dragged her into the store.

\---

Chris had never really been much of a gift-giver. He tried his best, sure, but he always felt like he ended up settling for stuff. He'd set out time and again to get the perfect gift, but end up just getting the most appropriate thing he could find. This time, he was confident that he'd absolutely nailed it. Rarely was Chris excited to give someone a gift, but today was different. After they left the pawnshop (Chris had a spring in his step that was half excitement, half 'lets get out of here before they realise they did something wrong') they had found a nearby party store and Chris had bought a box. It was cardboard and basic but fit for purpose. And Claire had convinced him to get a big pink bow for it too, which Chris had found too funny to pass up.

They set out for the RPD where Chris knew that Barry would be until roughly 5; plenty of time to make their way there and surprise him. Chris made a point of looking up, above and between buildings to catch sight of the station again, which he eventually did. They approached the building through winding streets and found a gate which provided access to the grounds. They were in a small grassy area with a couple of benches, and Chris could picture him and Barry shooting the shit here with a coffee on a break. They continued through a small arch and found themselves directly in front of the building. Damn, this place was impressive! He'd only been in here once before and had entered through the door to the heliport and left through the parking garage, so he'd never seen the outside of the building from the front. He stepped back out through the large gates into the street to take it all in. Damn. He walked back through the gates and said to Claire "Well you can't miss the front entrance, anyway!" And they both went in through the front door to the station. They were in the same main hall they had seen before from a completely different perspective. As they stepped forward a professional looking officer in a pale blue police uniform shirt with a thin black tie greeted them from behind the desk. And Chris realised pretty immediately that he didn't technically work here yet.

"Hi! Uh...I'm here to see Barry Burton of the...STARS department?" Chris said to a relatively blank expression.

The man tapped away on his computer keyboard and responded with "Sir, i'm afraid that nobody by that name works here, and I have never heard of the stars department. Are you sure you're in the right place?"

Shit, STARS was only named yesterday afternoon, and if they were going to be officially on the RPD staff roster at all, it hadn't happened yet.

"Oh. Uh. Captain Enrico Marini, then?" Chris replied, hopefully.

More tapping on the computer. "Nope, i'm afraid not."

Chris was starting to lose hope. Obviously they couldn't just let anybody roam the police station for no reason.

"We're here to see Shanice, upstairs!" Claire chimed in with. Chris felt momentarily stunned.

"You two...know Shanice?" the officer asked, one eyebrow raised.

"We do!" Claire said. "Is she in? Can you call her?"

The officer picked up the phone on the desk in front of him and pressed a button, no doubt a department transfer or something, Chris had thought. He spoke into the phone for a few seconds then put the receiver down. Chris and Claire looked at him for a few moments expectantly, the moment lingering for just a second or two longer than it should have, when the calm ambiance of the large main hall was shattered with a loud voice. "CLAIRE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE BABYGIRL!" They both looked up for the source of the voice echoing loudly around the room and saw Shanice's face poking over the edge of the railing above to their right-hand side. "GET UP HERE YOU TWO!"

The officer, Clarence, evidently, let out a sigh. "You can go up." He turned to face Shanice. "MAKE SURE YOU SIGN THEM IN PROPERLY." He said with the correct volume to reach her without creating roomwide reverberations. He had clearly spoken with her this way before, and probably not out of choice on his part. They nodded in thanks and made their way up the staircase on their right to see Shanice waiting by the door to her reception area waving them down and clapping her hands gently in excitement. Chris steeled himself.

They got to the door and Shanice threw her arms around Claire in a giant hug. 'Apparently they're on hugging terms?' Chris thought to himself. 'But they only met yeste'. His thought was interrupted when he found himself in a soft, warm but tight hug of his own. he could feel her chest squashing against his, and he wondered how deliberate that had been. He was too taken aback to resist, but by the time the thought had occurred he had dismissed it as being rude. She would be his colleague after all. And she was obviously the hugging type. Chris was more the 'duck out of sight before the hugging type notice you' type. She did smell nice though.

"Come in, come in, come in! So what brings you down here to see me?" Shanice beamed at the two of them. Her jaw dropped open at the box in Chris' hands with the big pink bow. "Is that for me?!" She practically shrieked.

"Aaaah, i'm so sorry Shanice! We're here to deliver this gift to Chris' friend Barry. We just had to namedrop you so the guy downstairs would let us in." Claire had explained. 

"Oh. So you ain't here to see me, huh? Well it looks like you owe me, Chris Redfield. Again." She pretended to pout and redirected her attention from Claire to him, pinning a badge to his shirt that read "RPD VISITORS BADGE." He noted that as she was doing it her fingers lingered a second or two too long on his chest every step of the way. She was standing in front of him putting on this show of pinning a badge to him, and Chris had a chance to take her in a little more. She was probably a few inches shorter than him, though she was wearing tall looking heels, and she'd probably look even shorter if her hair wasn't so pouffy. She was definitely a large girl, Chris would have probably guessed somewhere between 250-300lbs, but it obviously didn't affect her confidence in the slightest. She wore a tight knee-length dress with a dark pattern which kind of looked like leopard print and complimented her dark skin tone, and had a v-cut neck, exposing a lot of her chest. Today her nails were a lime-green colour, and Chris noted that the smell he had smelled before was coconut. She finished pinning the badge on, looked Chris in the face sternly for a second, then flashed a quick smile before turning on her heel towards Claire.

"Your turn babygirl!" She said, and approached her with her own visitors badge. She expertly threaded the pin through the fabric of Claire's jacket in under a second like a pro, revealing the deliberateness of how long it had taken on Chris. Claire smiled at her. 

"Now remember, you two are MY visitors. Don't you misbehave or nothin' because that all reflects back on me and I do not need your skinny-asses ruining my good reputation around here!" She joked. "And if you get into trouble you gonna have to answer to me for your punishment!" She said to them both, but looking pointedly at Chris. Claire was chuckling the whole time, seeing Chris squirming. She doubted he'd ever come across a woman so confident and direct in his life. Given a fair chance, Shanice would eat him alive.

"I'll be back in a few minutes Shanice, I wanna see Chris give this gift but straight after i'll come back for a catch-up!" Claire had said apologetically. Chris wondered what Claire and this lady who was at least 5 years her senior who she had met the day before could _possibly_ have to 'catch-up' on.

Chris decided to stop being a coward and addressed Shanice directly. "Listen, Shanice, thank you for getting us in here today, while my clearance makes it onto the system. I really do appreciate it."

"Oooh he speaks! Well Chris Redfield, I am happy to help. _Anything_ for you, baby!" she emphasised, her voice turning husky for a second. "But like I said, you _owe_ me. And guess what? I got you cornered baby. Because what if your clearance isn't on the system by Monday? Or Friday? Or April? Whose name you think you gonna use to get yourself in the station?" And Chris' eyes widened and Claire laughed because she was _right_. If things moved quickly then he'd be fine but if not he would be wearing this visitor's badge regularly, and he _knew_ that every time he wore it Shanice would attach it to his shirt, probably taking longer to do so with every passing day, all while insisting that he _owes_ her again. His 'debt' would grow exponentially by the day. By her reckoning he owed her twice already, so even if he got his clearance today he still owed her. And he had no _real_ idea how she intended to 'collect'.

'Forget _this_ shit' Chris thought to himself. 'I'm not going to be on the back-foot every time I see this chick. She's only acting like this because of how i'm reacting'. He decided to take a gamble, which he hoped would get her to back down a little.

"I _owe_ you, huh? Well, what if I decided to pay upfront next time?" Chris said. He felt like it was definitely confident and on theme, but he didn't really _know_ what he'd meant by that.

"Oooo Claire I do like me a feisty one!" Shanice exclaimed. She turned back to Chris and puffed her lips out just a tiny bit to make them appear fuller and more appealing. "Listen to me, Chris Redfield and listen good. You _ever_ want to be upfront with me, you know _exactly_ where you can find me." She bent herself forward at the hips a little and shot him a wink without breaking eye contact. Chris shrunk back a little. He had tried to assert himself a little but he'd just provided her another opportunity to assert herself. Claire giggled to herself the whole time. She didn't often see Chris so thoroughly outmatched by anyone, let alone a woman.

"Chris we had better go and find Barry." Claire had thrown him a lifeline. "Let's take a walk. I'll see you in a few Shanice!"

"Mmhmm I'll see you soon babygirl! I'll see you both real soon. And don't forget you gotta come back to see me to sign out and return them visitor badges!" And Chris sighed. He was losing this battle. Even this escape was proving to just be a momentary reprieve. He nodded and left the room with Claire in tow.

"Chriiiis! You should ask her out! It's clear you two like each other!"

"Like _each other_? What on earth makes you think _that_?" Chris said, wondering if Claire had witnessed the same interaction. There was an uncomfortably obvious physical attraction that went one way, he thought to himself, but that was all.

"Then what was that about?"

"What?"

"That line about paying upfront? Chris, you were _flirting_ with her!"

And Chris stopped dead in the hallway. _Shit_. He _had_ flirted with her! That wasn't what he had meant to do, but it is _exactly_ how that came across, wasn't it? _Shit_.

Claire laughed at the look on his face "Oh come _on_! You _cannot_ expect me to believe you didn't mean to flirt with her. There is _no_ way that line was just you trying to talk neutrally with another human." She continued.

"I was just trying to...look. Never mind. Not gonna happen. She's just not my type."

Claire laughed. "Oh? Sexy confident women aren't your type? Then what _is_ your type Chris? Ugly cowardly men?" she teased.

Chris responded by ignoring her and doubling his walking speed. They were pretty close to where the office was and hoped they'd reach it before conversation started up again.

"Well, suit yourself Chris!" She had said, immediately thwarting Chris's hopes on the matter.

They reached the newly christened STARS office a few moments later. "Aaw, they took down Joseph's sign!" Claire had commented. Well, that's _something_ , Chris had thought. He decided to knock before entering, since he was technically a visitor to the station and all. He knocked then turned the handle, the heavy wooden door swinging open smoothly on it's own weight.

"Chris! What a nice surprise!" Enrico had been sitting at one of the desks moved in yesterday afternoon with Barry and Kenneth going over some paperwork.

"Hey, Chris" Kenneth had said cooly. "Good to see you, my man. And it's always nice to see a beautiful girl." He beamed a smile at Claire, and Chris couldn't decide if he was being inappropriate or not. He told himself Kenneth was just being friendly and didn't mean anything by it, but Claire _was_ still a minor.

"Chris, Claire! Come on in!" Barry had said. "Surprised to see you here today. What's with the visitors badges?"

"Oh, Chris doesn't have clearance on the system yet." Claire answered. 

"Oh, of course. Well, the ink _is_ barely dry on his contract." Enrico had said. "We'll sort out your security clearance properly on Monday. We'll register your vehicle so you have parking clearance, and that seems to be more than enough, for now at least."

It hit Chris that that's how the rest of the STARS were able to come and go as they need without visitors badges; they'd entered the station directly through the parking garage and had security access that way. They may not be on the system just yet but their vehicles were registered and the parking passes had their names and photo's on. Well, at least on Monday he'd not be needing to see Shanice for a visitors badge.

"We'll get your picture done and parking pass sorted first thing Monday." Enrico repeated. "Should take a few days to get it printed and back to us." Shit. There goes _that_ idea. Chris noticed the look that Claire gave him.

"So what brings you here today Chris? You and Claire are meant to be exploring the city!" Barry had inquired.

"Seems like most streets and alleyways find their way here anyway." Chris had responded. "Even if we were fully exploring i think we'd wind up back here anyway. No, actually, I'm here to see you, Barry. Enrico, may we..?" Chris gestured towards the side office. Barry and Chris were _men_ , and any intimate display of emotions to be held should be done behind a closed door, if at all. Enrico nodded, and waved them towards the door.

Chris stepped in and Barry shut the door behind him. Chris turned to face his old friend and noticed Claire peering through the window. A little rude, but if anyone deserved to witness this moment it was her.

"Look, Barry." Chris begun. "I would never admit this to anybody but you or Claire, but I was scared."

"Scared? Chris, what's the matter?" Barry's face grew into concern.

"No, Barry, it's nothing like that. Look." He struggled with his words. 'Moments' like this were not Chris' strong suit. "Claire is moving away to college next year, as you know, and I was scared that my life would be empty. No Claire to look after, probably ever again. With college and everything...she's growing up. What if she gets a boyfriend in college and they end up married and with a family of her own. What if she ends up Claire...Smith and lives in New England with her husband and 2 kids and I'm still stuck in that dingy apartment because I have nobody to care for and...and nothing to do. No direction in life. Working construction jobs and painting fences to pay for rent and beer?"

"Chris, what the hell are you _talking_ about?" Barry was trying to be understanding but wasn't sure what Chris was trying to get at.

"Goddamn it Barry, i'm trying to say...Look. I'm saying thank you. Thank you Barry. I was worried about my future. I've spent so long with Claire as my priority I had no idea what I would even live for when...when she was _gone_." Chris paused, the thought drawing more emotion from him than he thought it might. "And then you knocked on my front door with the best chinese food the city had to offer." he chuckled "And you offered me a job that's frankly too good to be true and I was a stubborn asshole about it because I was scared. But you believed in me and you gave me something, Barry. You gave me something to work towards and occupy myself with and something to _do with my life_ when Claire's gone, and so I wanted to say thank you." And he held out the box with the comically large pink bow and handed it to Barry.

"Oh, Chris!" Barry's face lit up with appreciation, finally cottoning on to what Chris meant. "You sentimental old bastard! You shouldn't have. I told you, I didn't recommend you to do you a _favour_ , I did it because I believe in your skills and If there's one person I could _choose_ to have with me on the front line it's you."

"Barry, just open it." Chris said, enthusiastically.

Barry opened the box and his jaw fell open.

"Chris...you...what?...You shouldn't have. I can't..." Barry stammered in surprise.

"It was worth it to see you speechless!" Chris joked.

Barry dove his hand into the box and produced a long, shiny metal instrument. To Claire peeking through the window, it looked like a big gun. To Barry Burton, it looked like a Colt Anaconda with an 8 inch barrel, an absurdly large magnum revolver which fired .44 rounds. 

"Where did you..?"

"Saw it in the window of a pawnshop, of all places. It was an absolute steal. Place had it priced as a 4" Python! Either they don't have a clue what they're doing, or someone's in trouble for that one! I saw it and knew that it should belong to you. Plus, it was from a pawnshop, which means it's gonna need a goooood strip down, clean, the full works. Who knows what kind of maintenance the previous owner did, if any. And i'm sure the store wouldn't have had a clue either." And Barry's eyes practically sparkled at the thought. Chris went on "Plus, the wooden grips are a little worse for wear, which means you can buff the scratches and dings out and re-stain them, or even get some custom grips ordered. I _have_ to assume you already know a few gunsmiths in the city?" Chris joked. If a drunk moved into a new city the first thing he'd seek out is his nearest bar. If Barry Burton moved into a new city the first thing he'd seek out is a gunshop.

"Chris, I...I don't know what to say. Thank you, Chris." Barry had said, still a little dumbstruck, while he looked over the weapon, practically drooling and inspecting every nook and cranny of the gun, checking the weight and feel in his hands. He rolled out the chamber and gave it a good spin. "Oh. OH MAN!" And the excitement burst through the sentimentality of the moment. Barry was visibly excited to own a weapon like this. Chris patted him on the shoulder, a touching moment between brothers-in-arms. 

Barry stepped out of the side-office like an excited child. "Hey guys, check _this_ out!" He exclaimed with a giant grin as he held it out for Enrico and Kenneth to see.

"Je-sus _Christ_ that's a lot of gun!" Kenneth spat out in amazement.

"Good God, _that's_ a weapon. Looks like it's going to need a little TLC though, Barry. And i'm probably going to have to fill in a few forms if you're going to be carrying that on duty. It's far too big to use as a sidearm but I might be able to swing it as a special weapon if you're willing to carry a 9mm on you too. As your _primary_ , of course." Enrico was impressed but immediately fell into the role of Captain. He knew Barry would want to have this on him, his new favourite toy, but practically shuddered at the idea of him firing it in a live combat situation. This wasn't a gun that had an ounce of subtlety built into its giant stainless-steel frame. This was a gun that ended conflicts loudly and instantly.

Chris had to admit, he felt great that he had found the perfect gift for Barry Burton (and hadn't bankrupted himself buying it.), and it felt great to see the man this happy.

"Listen, I've got some things to sort out this evening. This was really just a flying visit. But have a great weekend and i'll see you all first thing Monday. Coffee's on me!" Chris said as he waved goodbye. Claire said her goodbyes, trying not to get emotional. Chris hadn't really thought of it but this would be the last time she saw any of the STARS until the next school break, probably spring-time. She gave Barry a great big hug and implored him to enjoy his new gun, to which he enthusiastically responded "Oh, I will! Hey, maybe next time you're in the city we'll visit the range and you can fire off a few rounds with it yourself!" To which Claire laughed. "Yeah maybe. I'm pretty sure the gun is bigger than I am!"

\---

Chris and Claire reached the door of the reception room where Shanice seemed to reside. Just as he was about to enter, Claire handed him her visitors badge and said "Oh shoot. Chris! I left my new sunglasses back in the office. Would you mind signing me out while I go grab them! I don't want to leave them behind!" And with that she turned on her heel and darted off back down the hallway. Chris gulped, knowing he'd have to face Shanice alone. 'Goddamnit Claire' he pouted. Typical. He swallowed, and entered the room. Shanice was on the telephone, pen in hand and scribbling notes. "Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Yessir. Mmhmm. Yessir I'll get that taken care of immediately, sir. Thank you. Mmhmm. Have a good day sir." She put the phone down. "Aye aye, Chief Asshole." She put the cap back on the pen and placed it on her notepad, then swivelled in her chair to face Chris. He felt like he was sweating. Was it warm in here?

"Chris Redfield! What a nice surprise." She smiled wryly. He felt like he'd walked into the lion's den.

"Well, you _did_ say we had to return these badges to you."

"Oh, I know what I said." She said, standing up purposefully, straightening her dress out and starting to walk towards Chris. "I just figured you might chicken out and send your sweet little sister in here with them."

"No, she forgot something in the office and had to go get it. She bought some new sunglasses and didn't want to leave them behind."

"Well, then. Bless her little heart." Everything Shanice said was soft and calm, welcoming. She was definitely someone whose demeanour could change on a dime, and at the moment she was going for...Chris wasn't sure, but a voice in the back of his head suggested 'seductive'. He gulped again.

"Now, Chris Redfield, may I ask you a question?" She pouted her lips a little and angled her head slightly to appear innocent and inquisitive. Once again, around this woman, Chris had no idea what to expect.

"Sure. What is it?"

And she had closed the gap between them considerably without him really noticing. It was a fairly small room so even a few steps made a lot of difference.

"What are you _afraid_ of, Chris Redfield."

"Huh? I don't know what you..."

She cut him off, adding an edge of aggression to the softness in her voice.

"I'm _saying,_ Chris Redfield, what are you afraid of? Are you afraid of _me_?"

"Of course i'm not afraid of you!" He sputtered out.

"It's just that i've been bein' real nice to you since we met yesterday, and you just seem a little nervous around me."

"I mean, I guess you just come across as a little"

"I know exactly how I come across, Chris Redfield." She was a chess-master and was verbally forcing him into a checkmate situation. He knew he was losing this one.

"Let me ask you a question, Chris Redfield. If I told you I feel a _physical_ attraction to you what would you say?"

Chris sputtered again. "I...uh...I'd probably say...i'm flattered but you're not my type?" He answered weakly.

She laughed, which wasn't the reaction he was expecting.

"And let me ask you, Chris Redfield, have you ever _been_ with a woman like _me_?" She lifted her hands to her face then slowly waved them down the length of her body, showing him her in her entirety. "Have you ever been with a strong, confident, sexy woman? A woman like _me_?" She probed.

"Well, no, but that doesn't"

"Well then, how do you know i'm _not_ your type?" She was circling her prey and enjoying it.

"Well if you put it like that...I guess i _don't_ know that?" He offered, uncertain at this point what answer he could give that she wouldn't counter into a point in her column.

Looking him square in the face she took the final step towards him, her chest barely an inch from his, began to remove his visitors badge slowly, and said breathily to him "Then _what_ are you afraid of, Chris Redfield? Because you wanna know what it is _I_ think? I think you're afraid that I _am_ your type and that _you_ ain't ready for _me_." She blew him a kiss and she was close enough that the air actually reached his face. The mint on her breath overpowered the coconut scent from her body. Chris' heart was pounding.

Shanice turned on her heel and strode back to her desk, and the tense atmosphere broke. Business as usual. She held up the two guest passes. "You need these again any time, you know where to find me." She said. She picked up her pen, uncapped it and continued writing on her notepad. If the visitors badge wasn't gone from his person, he'd swear that the last minute could have been a hallucination. He turned and reached for the door handle, and as soon as he turned it that breathy voice found it's way into his ears from across the room. "See you around, Chris Redfield."

\---

Chris rested against the other side of the door into the small reception room. His heart was pounding and he felt like he wanted to compose himself for a second or two. What the hell had happened in there?! He had never thought of someone like Shanice as being his type, but as well as being, Chris thought, _inappropriately_ forward at times, she did have a point. Or at the very least she had a way of getting in his head. His thoughts swam with confusion and intrigue and frustration and the scent of coconut. Was she just a cat with a mouse in her sights? Was she just playing with him because she thought it was fun?

"You uuuuuuuh OK bro?" came a too-cool-for-school voice to his right. Claire was leaning against the wall to his right, arms crossed against her chest and wearing her new sunglasses. "You sure took your time. Everything, uh...OK in there?" She inquired comically. "You sure took your time. Do you need a tissue for your forehead? Your brow's looking a little...sweaty." She was definitely giving him the business. And slowly, in his brain, cogs began to move...

"Claire?" Chris began "...How long have you been waiting for me?"

"Eh, not long. Few minutes maybe?"

"You sure made it to the office and back quickly..."

"Oh. OH! Yeah, I, um. Found a shortcut."

"Claaaaaire..."

"What is it, dearest brother of mine?"

"Were your sunglasses ever _in_ the STARS office?"

"Well, you see it's like this." She offered, then turned on her heels and bolted down the hallway.

"You little..!" Chris exclaimed, chasing after her.

She was laughing a maniacal laugh as she slowed to a jog, then to a stop. She turned and looked at her brother who skidded to a stop a meter or two in front of her.

"Chris?" She said, catching her breath a little.

"Last words, Claire?" He said growling menacingly, not actually intending to do anything but scare her with the chase.

She seemed a little sad and looked him in the eyes.

"Chris, I really like Shanice. Can I go say bye to her? I won't be in Raccoon for a while after tomorrow."

'Are you kidding me?' He thought to himself.

"Sure. Of course you can, Claire." He conceded, and he sat himself down to wait for her on the top step of the stairs that led down to the first floor.

Claire had started walking back towards the small reception room when she stopped and shouted to Chris. "You sure you don't wanna come with me, _Chris Redfield_?" She joked, saying his name in her breathiest seductress voice before breaking into a run as Chris stood up and made as if he was going to chase her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, I love pickles but Chris Redfield strikes me as the kind of dude who absolutely does not like pickles.
> 
> *EDIT*
> 
> I wanted to address Shanice for just a second because the more i think about her the more i worry she just comes across as a horny thirst-trap fetish insert OC (which is only, like, a _tiny_ bit true), and i'm trying to take this thing somewhat seriously and not fall into trashy fanfic tropes that are too common, like self-inserts and, well, horny thirst-trap fetish insert OCs.  
> The idea behind her is that, post 1998 everyone in the canon is a super serious(tm) stoic badass character and the only light-heartedness is meta enjoyment of cheesy badly recorded dialogue or coolguy one-liners from re4 onwards.  
> I just wanted to show that before the 'Incident' (never seemed like a strong enough word to me) normal people lived there who weren't super uptight and serious all day long, and weren't part of the 'main RE cast'.  
> I also wanted to show a little bit of diversity in body type and skin colour because RE isn't especially well known for the diversity of its cast. With the exception of Carlos, every survivor of the RE games up to 5 are skinny white people. RE5 really changed the game by making 2 of the survivors POC and one of the white people hench af instead of skinny. None of the non-white characters have ever returned for a second game except Ada who is probably the most boring character in the series.  
> I just wanted to show that people other than skinny white people who take things too seriously exist in this city before it got nuked.  
> Plus, if you don't like her for any reason at all, just know that *if* she was in the city in 1998 she definitely didn't survive.  
> But face facts, we've all met somebody with the personality of a Shanice in our lives, and if you're an introvert like me, you probably couldn't stand being around her. But Claire would love her and Chris would be out of his element.


	6. Road to Raccoon

The road, for now, was straight and long. Chris reckoned he'd be driving on this particular stretch for at least an hour. And because it was late afternoon on a Sunday, the road was basically empty. He figured he'd be in Raccoon in the early hours, check into a motel or whatever he found open and get a few hours sleep before arriving at the RPD fresh-faced and bushy tailed at 9am Monday morning. Well, probably not so fresh-faced but at the very least _there_. He was actually excited to be there. Driven. He had something. Something small but awesome that he was excited to be part of. He found himself wishing he'd paid attention to the opening or closing time of the Apple Inn he'd stayed at the last few nights. He could check in, grab a nightcap and head up to collapse on the bed. And he knew they offered a wake-up call service. But if not, he could always sleep in his car. Not ideal, but he'd slept in worse places and for longer than one night. He took a cigarette from the virgin packet on his passenger seat and held it in his lips, flicked open his zippo and brought it to his face in a familiar motion, lit the thing and took a long drag. 

Since Friday, he had come to terms with the fact that, for the first few days at least, he was going to be relying on visitors passes to the RPD. And that meant dealing with Shanice. He had been thinking about it because, aggressive behaviour aside, she had definitely had a fair point, or at least one that had stuck itself in his brain. Chris _was_ always on the back foot with her, and she was in control of every encounter they'd had so far. So what _was_ he afraid of? _Why_ was he always on the defensive? _Was_ it her?

He exhaled, forcing small jets of smoke from his nostrils. His window was cracked open slightly, which drew the smoke out and away from the vehicle.

He supposed that it had been different for the others. Enrico had been given _de facto_ clearance to the station on the merit that he was the one who'd been sought for the position in the first place. Barry was the first person he'd brought on board so had been there since Day One, before moving his family down. And then the others had all lived locally and applied for the position the traditional way; resumé's and interviews. He wondered if Jill's interview had been as brief as "When can you start?", based on her training and skill set. Chris wasn't a fan of the term 'overqualified', but it struck him that for what this job _was_ , compared to her experience? She was Overqualified with a capital 'O'. But then, just like himself, perhaps she took the job to either move away from something behind her, or towards something new that she didn't know she needed until, well, she knew she needed it. His mind drifting, he found himself thinking that on top of her experience, Jill was pretty hot. He also found himself thinking that hitting on her was _probably_ a good way to get your arm broken. Besides, he was moving to a new city! There were plenty of chicks there who _wouldn't_ pin him facedown to the floor with his arm behind his back because he had asked her if her legs were tired from running around his mind all day. No, Jill was cool as a cucumber and while she may be hot, she was also a colleague and a team-mate and Chris knew that any kind of attraction or romance or anything in this scenario was an awful idea. That's exactly the sort of thing that got people killed in a combat situation. In fact, as things stood, these were all reasons why Jill was probably the only person in the city he _shouldn't_ try to hit on.

He took another drag from the cigarette, steadying it loosely with his left thumb and index finger as he did.

The moon was peeking between the trees that lined the sides of the interstate road he was currently on. The road was well lit and, of course, his headlights beamed onto the surface directly ahead of him, making the asphalt shimmer slightly. Since he'd left home he had seen about 6 cars total, not counting truckers and heavy-goods vehicles. Chris preferred driving at this sort of hour. It wasn't even that late, but it was dark, and that put people off. Chris liked a nice long drive every now and then. Especially at a time like this, it helped him digest and compartmentalise recent events, helped him make sense of them and helped him draw a line under different chapters of his life. And this was definitely a new chapter for him. The closing pages of the previous chapter were still on his mind but he knew that by the time he woke up tomorrow his life would be about moving forward. He had spoken to his landlady and, while she was always lovely and accommodating, Chris felt like she thought he was some kind of loser. Guy in his 20s living with his sister, no job. She actually seemed happy for him that he was moving out, doing something with his life. And he'd have had a hard time disagreeing, judgment aside. He had packed his few belongings and his clothes into bags and boxes and put them into the back of his 4x4 while Claire did the same. They had driven over to Janey Harrington's house on the outskirts of town (the rich part of town, to Chris' mind) and said his goodbyes to Claire. It was actually a pretty emotional scene, Claire in tears at the reality that her brother was leaving, and going far away. He joked that she was just upset that he'd beaten her to it. He held her in his arms and told her that if she ever needed him, Raccoon City is where he'll be. She knew where it was, she knew where he would be. And though she didn't have an address or phone number for him yet (he didn't even have them for himself), she knew where he worked, and that was more than enough. Chris was glad for the chance to thank Colonel Harrington in person, and get to shake his hand. He thanked him for helping to protect his sister, and Emmett had retorted with a hearty "Another girl in the house! Who's gonna protect _me_?". The Harrington Family plus Claire had stood on the large white porch to their large white colonial house and waved Chris goodbye as he had climbed into his beaten up 4x4 and driven away. Chris hadn't cried because he knew it was the right call to make, but it was the hardest most emotional moment in his life in a long time. Probably since Chris and Claire had become the sole heirs to their family name. He knew he'd see her several times a year, probably for weeks at a time, but _goddamn_ he was going to miss her. He had stopped at a gas station, grabbed a sandwich and a few drinks, then hit the road and headed for the interstate, bidding the city farewell. He'd lived there with Claire for a few years now but never considered it home. Didn't really think much of the place and would never have felt the need to return if Claire hadn't stayed behind. And that had been his day.

He opened his mouth and lazily let the warm smoke flow out as it pleased, seeping and swirling around him.

The excitement of the new job kept waning to concern. Not real concern, just...uncertainty. He knew what the job would be when it was up and running, but it wasn't just yet. They needed to fill out the team, assign roles formally, they needed equipment and to perform training exercises to get to know how they operated and this all meant that, over the next few weeks, Chris and the rest of the team probably wouldn't know exactly what their job entailed day-to-day. He was intent on turning up to the RPD tomorrow morning and reporting for duty at 9am, but he had no idea what he'd actually be reporting for. Plus there had been a small amount of trepidation regarding the new Captain. Enrico was rightfully frustrated at the situation but everyone knew that that would pass. He was the one who deserved that job but the sad fact was that he didn't have it. What he did have was a high professional pedigree and a superior officer who he would be nothing but respectful and professional toward, regardless of how much it sucked in the short-term. Plus, he had recruited some fantastic personnel and they'd named the team so at least Enrico had something he could point to with the team and be able to say "That was me. I did that."

Chris took another drag, the heat of the smoke burning the back of his throat in that awful, perfect and irreplaceable way.

He figured that after the STARS were up and running that the bulk of their jobs would be standard police work. Not necessarily being out on the street, talking with kids about the dangers of traffic, but he knew that when SWAT members weren't on rooftops pointing sniper rifles at bank robbers they assisted in more high-risk police work; drug raids, riot control, search and rescue, that sort of stuff. If an explosive device were discovered they would probably be called to contain the scene until the bomb squad arrived, things like that. The city had a small SWAT unit already but they would be stretched pretty thin considering the recent boom in the growth of the city. He figured they'd probably be working fairly closely with SWAT regularly. He also reasoned that since they would have 2 choppers available to them and were being privately funded that they'd probably be doing that sort of stuff in neighboring towns and cities too, probably even out of state if the situation called for it. He could see themselves building a reputation as, like Claire had said, a team of badasses who swoop in, kick ass, then go, and imagined them being sought after for tough jobs. Of course, that was all fantasy in his head, for now. But he welcomed it. He didn't want to be so specialised that they sat around the STARS office drinking coffee 99% of the time, only jumping into action when the President was kidnapped or whatever. He wanted to be doing things, helping people and staying active. And with Barry, Jill, and Enrico at his side, he wasn't afraid for a second of sneaking into a drug-den and rushing the baddies inside, taking them down with speed, efficiency and precision.

But what _was_ he afraid of? He pushed the smoke out of his lungs through his nose again, his jaw set as he was lost in thought, his instincts and experience the ones _really_ driving.

He hadn't ever really dealt with a woman as forward as Shanice before. She knew what she wanted, alright. And she was out to get it, too. And she was definitely a little aggressive but wasn't he kind of letting her be? He could have been cold and told her to knock it off. Could have threatened to report her behaviour to her superiors. But instead he'd just kind of...shrunk away like a child dealing with an authority figure. And even her aggressive behavior was a little...well, it was all definitely suggestive, but she'd never actually _touched_ him. She hugged him sure, but she had hugged Claire too. And she was very...lingery...when pinning the badge on, but she was close enough that she could have kissed him, could have grabbed his ass, could have done any number of things. Yet all she'd really done, when it came down to it, was talk. She talked and projected herself in a way that Chris had never really experienced before, and that was what had him on the defensive. That's what he had come to believe, whether through it being true or through him telling it to himself enough that he had convinced himself.

He took in another deep drag on his cigarette.

Chris had flirted with his fair share of women. He'd 'been' with a few, although he definitely had more losses than he did wins in that department. Bought his fair share of drinks and finished the night with an invite inside for coffee a couple times, but never, as Shanice had pointed out, never with anyone like _her_. Never a black woman, for starters, though not through any kind of deliberate prejudice. And never a woman of her...build. And definitely never a woman with her charisma, drive, style and confidence. Most of the chicks he'd hooked up with in bars were skinny leggy girls with curly blonde or straight brown hair, who he honestly would struggle to distinguish between. He had had a great time with them all, sure, but none of them stood out in his memory. He had slowly come to realise that Shanice was probably the only woman ever to flirt with _him._ In his experience, he would find a pretty girl in the bar, offer her a drink, then flirt with _her_. Tell her all about how he could fly a fighter-jet and all that stuff. He figured chicks digged that sort of thing, but as he got older he realised that the kind of chicks he was pulling were into that sort of thing, and the vast majority of women everywhere didn't care about that sort of stuff either way. He still wasn't sure if Shanice was his type, but as she had pointed out, he really had no way of knowing it for sure. He wasn't 100% sure the logic of the matter even held up, but her argument had been a convincing one, in the moment at least.

He breathed the smoke out, and took the last puff on his cigarette. He lowered the window enough to reach his hand out, stubbed it out on the outside of his window, then flicked the butt outwards, it disappearing behind him as he drove onwards. He let the smoke linger in his chest a little, then blew it out the left side of his mouth, out the window before rolling it closed again.

He had come up with a plan, anyway. He was going to be working in the station and bumping into her every time he went anywhere near that little reception room, and probably other parts of the station too, so at the very least he had to clear the air a little between the two of them. He had planned to ask her to join him for a coffee break one day, so it was clear it wasn't a date or anything. He just wanted to get to know her a little better so hopefully she would back off a little. He figured that underneath the absurdly forward and flirtatious exterior she was projecting was an actual human who liked to...watch tv, listen to music, walk her pet dog, or whatever she did in her spare time. He knew she was a human and reasoned to himself that if he could get to know the human she was then maybe she'd stop being so forward and could relax and be herself. He hoped that would be enough. He realised he was thinking about her entirely too much, for some reason. She had worked her way into his head good and proper.

He picked up a bottle of Pepsi from his passenger seat, a makeshift surface while he drove, steadied it against the side of the wheel with the palm of his hand and loosened the lid before taking a swig. He wiped a small drip of liquid off his lip with his wrist, twisted the cap back on and tossed the drink back onto the seat beside him.

Chris found himself wondering where exactly the STARS helicopters and equipment would be. He knew the station had a helicopter but reasoned that it didn't stay on the helipad when it wasn't being used. He hadn't really put any thought into it before now but he reasoned that they probably had a small hangar or shed on a flat bit of land just outside city limits and that they would probably prep at the station then load into a van which would whisk them away to their designated space. Heh. Space. STARS. Chris grinned a little at the dumb joke his brain had made. Now he was thinking about it he imagined it a little like a small airstrip. Just a few hundred feet of flat concrete in the middle of nowhere with a shed big enough for a few birds and some equipment. He hoped it was set up like that. They'd be able to get some simple stuff set up for team exercises and training ops. Some walls made of plywood which they could maneuver through, run dummy scenarios, that sort of thing.

A large 18-wheeler passed him in the lane to his left. He simultaneously wondered where it was headed and answered it himself. Probably Raccoon City, he thought. It's the biggest thing around here, in this direction anyway. He'd noticed a few big vehicles headed that way that he was sure were destined for Raccoon. Large flatbeds filled with building materials. The amount of construction going on in the effort to expand the city was massive, so a steady stream of materials and equipment didn't surprise him at all. He thought about the city a little, and had to admit that what he had seen so far he had liked. It was like a...half city? He could tell that the hustle & bustle was on the up, but he'd seen parts that looked positively metropolitan, like LA or something, and parts that were just...small mountain town. It looked like a city at odds with itself and its own architecture. Some of the suburban areas were small with no verticality at all, then a few blocks away were huge towering buildings; apartments and offices and god knew what else. He had heard that the Mayor had spearheaded some big initiative to reinvent and revitalise the city. The Bright Raccoon...something. Chris thought it had a dumb name but kept it to himself as Barry had explained it. How did that even come up, he wondered to himself? Oh, sure. Barry was telling him about the funding for the unit that would become STARS, back in his apartment that fateful night last Wednesday. The Mayor had teamed up with a few big investors (probably for some under-the-table planning permissions or permits) to enact this big rejuvenation project. Some international chemical company or something was providing a huge amount of funding to the city which was being invested in a bunch of different projects aimed at bettering the city. They had built a hospital which was nearly complete, they were creating jobs, creating a large public park, all sorts of things. And part of that meant they were, in large part but not exclusively, funding STARS. Chris wondered cynically which environmental disaster they'd caused, which hole in the o-zone or which oil spill they'd created to be spending this much for their own publicity. But no, they were clean. Squeaky clean, in fact. And ultimately, money was money. It was being paid to the RPD who would be paying it to them so it really had no effect _where_ the money had come from, not on them anyway.

Chris Redfield was no chain smoker by any stretch, but even though it had only been a few minutes since he finished his last one he decided he'd have another. He was alone and having a good time, why not? He placed one in the same spot between his lips as he always did, flicked open his lighter again, and lit it, taking a drag to help the end catch. Thin wisps of smoke came from the tip and streamed out of the slight crack in the window.

Barry Burton was like a brother to Chris. An older brother or uncle, he thought, not really knowing what either of those relationships were supposed to feel like. And he had met Kathy enough times that they were comfortable and happy around each other and Chris got on well with the girls. He wasn't at a point where they would waddle over shouting 'UNCA CHWIS!' or anything, but they didn't keep a distance from him and only look at him from behind furniture anymore either. He loved them all and just being that close with a family unit made Chris feel a way that he wasn't sure how to quantify. Maybe it was what it felt like to be part of a loving family, and Chris choked a little. He blamed the cigarette and tossed it out the window but he knew it wasn't anything to do with smoking. Chris' parents had both died a long time ago now, but it still stung. He had been 9 and Claire had been 3 and one minute they were there and then _it_ happened and then they were gone. He still wasn't able to think about them for too long; it was simply _too sad_. He would spiral downwards if he thought about it too much. About how he had been robbed of a life and a childhood and how much he still missed his Mom and Dad, how they didn't get to see him enlist and how they would never get to see Claire grow into the strong woman she was becoming but equally how she would never know them, never even remember them or their faces. They wouldn't see her graduate and wouldn't be at her wedding, or his for that matter. Chris would be the one to walk Claire down the aisle, if she ever got wed, and that tore him apart. That was _Dad's_ job, goddamnit, and the universe had robbed them of that too. Chris struggled sometimes to remember their faces and their voices. He had photos of the 4 of them, Claire still a tiny baby and Chris a small boy beaming with pride at the camera, a big gappy grin, but he rarely if ever looked at them. It just...hurt too much. Sometimes he channeled that hurt and that anger and rage into his brow and his index finger when shooting. And it helped. It helped hone his focus and it helped drive him forward. Losing his family like that was a motivator in joining the Air Force. In some way or another, it was a motivator for most everything in his life, and probably would be for a good long time. Chris Redfield rarely _ever_ cried, but when he did the tears were hot and angry and they stung his eyes and every last one was for his parents. He flipped his turn signal on and pulled over to the side of the road. He got out of his car and lit another cigarette, leaned against the side of his vehicle with one foot on the floor and one on the door, and stared up at the dark sky until he had smoked it down to the filter. 

He knew that emotionally he probably shouldn't be around the Burton's for too long. Happy Families wasn't a game he was prepared to jump into with both feet, especially without Claire there either. He would stay for a night or two and find an apartment, someone looking for a lodger, _anything._ And if the place sucked and he needed to move then he would rather apartment-hop than live with the Burton's until he found the perfect place. He told himself he'd stay for three nights, tops.

He looked up into night the sky one more time, the dark navy and black hues swirling together, the glowing white of the moon incongruous against it. I miss you Mom, I miss you Dad. Chris took a deep breath, then climbed back in and continued onwards.

He drove for another hour or two, steady and quick along the interstate until he found his exit, followed it until he hit the Raccoon City Limits. He followed the signs and drove past industrial estates, suburban homes, large buildings and small buildings and partially constructed buildings, all in the dead of night. It was dark and the streets were empty and it was a little creepy if Chris was honest with himself. He caught a glimpse of the illuminated clock-face on the large clocktower they'd flown over on their way into and out of the city and he thought of Claire. He drove empty streets until he saw the Apple Inn and of course it was closed. He decided to make his way back to the outskirts of the city to try to find a roadside motel. A little drive, a stop at a gas-station and a chat with the guy behind the counter there all pointed him in the right direction. He followed the old mans directions and found himself at the Arklay Inn, looking every bit like every cheap motel he'd ever seen on TV. 2 storeys tall, a staircase to the left of the complex which offered access to the upstairs rooms, and a small office to the right hand side of the place with a neon light which glowed painfully bright in the dark of the night around it. He entered the office and a few short minutes later left with a key. He grabbed his drinks and smokes from the car and made his way upstairs to his room. He went inside and, thankfully, there was a small plastic alarm clock on the table next to the bed. Looks like he'd get at least 4 or 5 hours sleep, if he was lucky. He set the alarm for 8am which should give him plenty of time for a quick shower and to make his way back into the city for 9am. Chris Redfield turned the lamp next to the bed on and switched off the main light, and undressed. He climbed into bed alone and lay for a second or two. Just as he was about to switch off the lamp next to him to get some well earned rest, he noticed the painting on the wall above the old TV across from the foot of the bed. Hanging there on the wall, enshrouded mostly in shadow, was an amateur looking still-life painting, probably from a thrift-store, of three coconuts, one of which was split in half showing the flesh and water inside. Chris Redfield rolled his eyes, smiled to himself, turned off the lamp, and let the cold and the dark and his exhaustion take him. He dreamed warm, comforting dreams evoked and inspired by the painting on the wall.


End file.
